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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 24 July 2006

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agricultural Support Sector

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the delay to single farm payments on the farm machinery business; and if he will make a statement. [84613]

Barry Gardiner: UK tractor registrations, a broad indicator of the strength of the domestic market for agricultural equipment, have increased marginally in the first half of 2006. However, individual businesses may, to varying effects, have been affected in the short term by the cash flow issues faced by farmers as a result of the timing of payments under the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS).

Animal Freight

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed by his Department to carry out on-road inspections of transporters carrying vertebrate animals in each of the last five years. [86354]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold the information requested. Roadside checks are arranged by local authorities, to check compliance with a range of animal health and welfare rules. The state veterinary service liaises with local authorities so that emergency veterinary cover can be made available if needed.

Animal Health Strategy

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the Government incorporates into its animal health strategy for the rescue and care of abandoned, wounded and homeless animals. [86871]

Mr. Bradshaw: [holding answer 20 July 2006]: While the Government applauds the fine work undertaken by animal welfare charities in rescuing and caring for abandoned, wounded and homeless animals, it does not use public money to directly fund such work. However, we do have policies in place to increase the value of charitable gifts by generous tax concessions.

Arhus Convention

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to inform the public of their rights under the Arhus Convention. [85491]


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Ian Pearson: The Government recognises that the Aarhus Convention is an important statement, at international level, of the rights of the public to be involved in decisions which have significant environmental effects. The UK’s ratification of the convention, in February 2005, demonstrates our commitment to the importance of these principles. A comprehensive guide can be found on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/internat/aarhus/index.htm

In addition, DEFRA’s environmental information unit (EIU) provides advice on the convention and the Environmental Information Regulations. The EIU has produced leaflets and posters publicising peoples’ rights to access environmental information and provides detailed guidance on the DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/opengov/eir/index. htm This also links to the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs), the code of practice and the Aarhus Convention.

The code of practice, (which was laid in Parliament in February 2005) and guidance have been revised to take responses to a public consultation into account.

Additionally, the unit offers support to Government Departments and public authorities on EIRs. This support includes workshops to discuss how they can raise awareness within their authorities and provides an opportunity to share good practice. In 2003-04, the Government’s sustainable development unit worked with the Department for Constitutional Affairs supporting the freedom of information (FOI) road shows programme and gave talks to public authorities around the country explaining how to handle FOI and EIR requests.

Biomass Energy Crops

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to remove barriers to the market development of biomass energy crops; and what further measures are planned. [86116]

Ian Pearson: The Government provide support to help establish, develop supply chains, and create markets for biomass energy crops. The Government set up a Biomass Task Force in 2004 to identify the barriers to developing biomass energy and to recommend ways to overcome the problems.

The Government's response to the taskforce report was published in April 2006 and sets out 12 key initiatives and over 60 associated actions to help realise optimum use of biomass as a resource. These measures include a capital grant scheme for biomass boilers, the establishment of a new Biomass Energy Centre to provide expert information and advice, further grant support for biomass supply chains, and a commitment to consider using biomass in the Government estate. We also intend to publish a UK Biomass Strategy in the coming year.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have been brought by each local authority in England under section 3 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 since the Act came into force. [86149]


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Mr. Bradshaw: Measures contained in section 3 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, which concern exposing vehicles for sale on the road, commenced in June 2005.

Figures relating to the number of prosecutions brought under this section will not be available until autumn this year.

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received regarding the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. [87766]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department had received a range of representations on the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, in the form of letters, emails and parliamentary questions.

Commercial Kitchens

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what research his Department has conducted into (a) carbon emissions from commercial kitchens and (b) means to reduce such emissions; [84943]

(2) what plans his Department has to encourage the use of technology to reduce carbon emissions from commercial kitchens. [84942]

Ian Pearson: The information available on carbon emissions from commercial kitchens is currently very limited.

Two scoping studies have been carried out for Defra which indicate that carbon emissions from non-domestic cooking equipment are somewhere between 2.2 million and 6 million tonnes of carbon per annum. Further work is being carried out by the Government’s Market
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Transformation Programme (MTP) to refine these estimates. The MTP estimates that the refrigeration equipment used in commercial kitchens produces a further1.4 million tonnes of carbon per annum.

The Government are working with industry, through the Carbon Trust and the MTP, to reduce these emissions. For example, the Hotel and Catering International Management Association manages a programme on behalf of the Carbon Trust which offers free energy saving advice to the sector.

We are also working to encourage manufacturers to improve the efficiency of their goods by developing agreed test methodologies, performance standards and benchmarks which will enable the relative energy efficiency of these appliances to be measured. This process is complete for commercial refrigeration equipment but is at an early stage for commercial ovens.

If all existing catering equipment were replaced by best practice(1 )equipment, we estimate that carbon emissions from commercial kitchens could be reduced by 18 per cent. Substantial additional carbon savings can be made through management and behavioural measures.

    (1) The top 10 per cent. of equipment, currently on the market, in terms of energy efficiency.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list in date order (a) Green and (b) White Papers produced by his Department since October 2005. [81295]

Barry Gardiner: The following Command (“Green” and “White”) Papers have been produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, since October 2005.

Paper number Title Publication date

6692

Autumn Performance Report

21 December 2005

6764

UK Climate Change Programme 2006

28 March 2006

6845

UK Government Response to Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 25th Report: Turning the Tide—Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment

24 May 2006

6827

Departmental Report

25 May 2006


Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the Unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each Session since 1976; by what means (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement. [81298]

Barry Gardiner: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to explanatory notes to treaties, explanatory memorandum to statutory instruments and some Treasury minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.

A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers can only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Environment Agency

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Environment Agency takes to ensure that its charging policy is fair and equitable across its user groups. [87032]

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency complies with Her Majesty's Treasury's “Fees and Charges Guide”, applies the polluter (or beneficiary) should pay principle, attributes relevant costs to specific charging regimes, and recovers those costs through charges.

The Agency also takes account of guidance set out in the DEFRA Charging Handbook, which states that policy makers should be sensitive to the burden upon payers (and particular segments) and that this should be done though developing a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the proposed change in charge if it
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imposes a real increase in burden. In accordance with good Government practice the Agency routinely seeks the views of stakeholders, customer groups and individual charge payers on proposals for changes.

Environmental Directives

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which environmental
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directives have been agreed and published sinceMay 1997; and what the date or expected date of transposition is of each. [84060]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA was formed in June 2001. Between 8 June 2001 and 30 June 2006, 30 EU environmental directives, for which the Department has responsibility for implementation, were adopted. These are shown in the table as follows.


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Directive number Directive name Transposition deadline Date UK transposition completed/or expected to be completed

2001/080/EC

Limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants

27 November 2002

9 September 2003

2001/081/EC

National emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants

1 March 2002

13 March 2003

2001/091/EC

Restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (hexachloroethane)

31 December 2002

30 June 2003

2002/003/EC

Relating to ozone in ambient air

9 September 2003

26 February 2004

2002/031/EC

Energy labelling of household air conditioners

1 January 2003

14 March 2003

2002/040/EC

Commission Directive 2002/040/EC implementing Council Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of household electric ovens

31 December 2002

14 March 2003

2002/045/EC

Relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (short-chain chlorinated paraffins)

6 July 2003

23 December 2003

2002/049/EC

Assessment and management of environmental noise

18 July 2004

October 2006

2002/062/EC

Adapting to technical progress for the ninth time Annex I to Council Directive 76/769/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States on marketing and use of (organostannic compounds)

31 October 2002

14 March 2003

2003/002/EC

Relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of arsenic

30 June 2003

23 December 2003

2003/004/EC

On public access to environmental information and repealing 90/31 3/EEC

14 February 2005

04 January 2006

2003/011/EC

Relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (pentabromodiphenyl ether octabromodiphenyl ether)

15 February 2004

22 March 2004

2003/035/EC

Providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment

25 June 2005

October 2007

2003/066/EC

Energy labelling of household electric refrigerators, freezers and their combinations

30 June 2004

1 July 2004

2003/087/EC

Establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community

31 December 2003

23 December 2004

2004/008/EC

On the promotion of cogeneration based on a useful heat demand in the internal energy market

21 February 2006

September 2006

2004/012/EC

Packaging and packaging waste

18 August 2005

September 2006

2004/035/EC

Environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage

30 April 2007

April 2007

2004/042/EC

Limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds due to use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products

30 October 2005

25 October 2005

2004/098/EC

Restrictions on the marketing and use of pentabromodiphenyl ether in aircraft emergency evacuation system

1 January 2005

22 December 2004

2004/101/EC

A scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community

13 November 2005

September 2006

2004/107/EC

Relating to arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air

15 February 2007

February 2007

2005/032/EC

Establishing a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for energy using products

11 August 2007

August 2007

2005/033/EC

The sulphur content of marine fuels

11 August 2006

August 2006

2005/059/EC

Restrictions on marketing and use of certain dangerous substances (Toluene and Trichlorobenzene)

15 December 2006

December 2006

2005/069/EC

Marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations

29 December 2006

December 2006

2006/007/EC

Bathing water quality

24 March 2008

March 2008

2006/011/EC

Pollution caused by dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the community (codified version)

n/a

n/a

2006/012/EC

Waste (codified version)

n/a

n/a

2006/032/EC

Energy end-use efficiency and energy services

17 May 2008

May 2008


I am placing in the Library of the House a list which itemises the directives adopted together with:

    (a) the EU deadline for transposition into domestic legislation.

    (b) where, appropriate, the final or expected United Kingdom transposition date.

Details of all Directives in force can be found on the Eur-Lex database available on the European Union’s website at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex.

Environmental Management

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. [81183]

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA is firmly committed to the achievement of environmental management systems ISO 14001 standard in its buildings. A programme of independent accreditation to that standard is under way. The priority is for our larger sites to achieve accreditation and at the end of June, a total of 27 sites (offices and laboratories), covering 78 per cent. of staff in the Department and its Executive Agencies, were accredited to ISO 14001. Three further sites covering eight per cent. of staff in the Department have Environmental Management Systems in place, which are yet to be independently certified to the standard.

DEFRA has submitted data relevant to this question (including external certification) for annual Sustainable Development in Government Reports. The last Report published by the Sustainable Development Commission in December 2005, covering the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005, is available at: http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/watchdog.

Farm Subsidies

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006 to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten), Official Report, column 24W, on farm subsidies, whether the former Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency remains on paid leave of absence; when a decision on his future will be made; and if he will make a statement. [73215]

Barry Gardiner: As a priority, Defra appointed an interim Chief Executive of the RPA to lead the organisation through the next period, and work has already begun to strengthen the senior management team. The former CEO of the RPA is currently on paid leave and we are in the process of resolving his employment issues through the proper legal procedures in line with the Departments HR good practice.

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Single Payment Scheme funds for the period between December 2005 and February 2006 to be paid. [85413]

Barry Gardiner: The EU regulatory payment window for 2005 Single Payment Scheme ran from 1 December 2005 to 30 June 2006. The Rural Payments Agency began to make payments to English farmers in February 2006 and by 30 June over £1.438 billion (94.9 per cent. of total estimated expenditure) had been disbursed. The remaining sums will be paid as soon as possible.

Fisheries

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what share of the EU Fisheries Fund agreed on 19 June will be allocated to (a) the UK and (b) each other EU member state. [86469]


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Mr. Bradshaw: The European Fisheries Fund, which will replace the current Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) from 1 January 2007, will run for seven years with a total budget of €3.849 billion. We anticipate that the UK will be allocated about €122 million. However, the Council regulation has not completed its formal procedures so the figure is subject to confirmation. Therefore the Department does not yet hold specific information relating to other member states.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1729-30W, what report his Department has made to the European Commission on by-catch monitoring under the obligations of Council Regulation (EC) 812/2004. [87342]

Mr. Bradshaw: The UK Government’s report to the European Commission, on by-catch monitoring, is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra. gov.uk/fish/sea/conserve/regulation.htm.

Flood and Coastal Defences

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the full updating of the National Flood and Coastal Defence database will be completed. [86366]

Ian Pearson: The National Flood and Coastal Defence database has been developed in a number of phases. The latest development means that it can now hold data on structures that help control coastal erosion as well as flood defences, and it is now live and available to staff in both the Environment Agency and the operating authorities. Further development will be planned to meet evolving needs.

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's expenditure has been on flood defences in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. [86075]

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency (EA) are the principal operating authority with responsibility for flood risk management in England. Defra has provided £141 million to the EA in grant in aid in 2006-07 up to the end of July. This supports capital improvement projects, maintenance and operation of existing infrastructure, and associated activities such as flood warning, public awareness of flood risk and advising planning authorities with respect to development in areas at risk of flooding.

Local authority expenditure on flood risk management other than capital projects is supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government Revenue Support Grant mechanism.

Capital projects to manage coastal erosion risk often also provide significant benefit in terms of reducing risk of flooding from the sea but expenditure on these is routed directly to local authorities by Defra, and is not included in EA grant in aid. It would not be possible to identify the proportion resulting in flood risk benefit without incurring disproportionate cost.


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Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the flood defence systems in Robertsbridge, East Sussex; and if he will make a statement. [86887]

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency’s current assessment of the Robertsbridge flood defence systems are that they are in very good condition and able to function in accordance with the design.

However, modifications, which will improve the Agency’s response time during a flood incident, are to be made to the road crossing defences this summer in time for the start of the flood season.

GM Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what genetically modified crops are licensed to be grown in the UK. [87519]

Ian Pearson: Only one type of genetically modified (GM) maize seed, Monsanto's MON 810, is currently approved and being made available for commercial cultivation in the European Union. MON 810 is not suitable for UK growing conditions.

Greyhound Racing Industry

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from animal welfare organisations on the decision by the greyhound racing industry to pursue self-regulation; and if he will make a statement. [86535]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has received representations from a number of animal welfare organisations about regulating greyhound racing.

I recently received a joint letter from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Dogs Trust and the League Against Cruel Sports outlining their concerns on the self-regulation of greyhound racing. These organisations are represented on DEFRA’s Greyhound Working Group—set up to examine the welfare aspects of greyhound racing and to offer advice to Ministers and officials on future regulations and a code of practice. This group has yet to make any recommendations.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reconsider the decision not to include proposals for statutory provision for greyhound racing in the Animal Welfare Bill. [87343]

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to promote the welfare of retired greyhounds. [87137]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Animal Welfare Bill, currently before Parliament, will introduce an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animal. This will apply to owners and keepers of all animals, including racing, and retired greyhounds. In addition, we are considering making specific regulations under the
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Animal Welfare Bill in relation to the welfare of racing greyhounds. We consider that these regulations are better contained in secondary legislation rather than on the face of the Bill.

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many racing greyhounds were killed at the end of their working lives in each of the last five years. [87402]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government do not hold such information.

H7N3 Virus (Norfolk)

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what compensation is available for Norfolk poultry farmers whose poultry has been culled as a consequence of the outbreak of the H7N3 virus. [68649]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 8 May 2006]: Under the Animal Health Act 1981, compensation is payable for all healthy birds culled for disease control purposes; the amount is the value of the bird immediately before slaughter. This applies to all birds suffering from any strain of avian influenza, regardless of whether it is of high or low pathogenicity. We also provide compensation for eggs or other property that is destroyed.

In the recent cases of H7N3 in Norfolk, the affected poultry owners will receive compensation for all birds slaughtered because the mortality rate was low and slaughter was conducted on suspicion of disease.

ISO 14001

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commit the Government to compliance with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard. [85982]

Ian Pearson: On 12 June the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (David Miliband) announced new sustainable operations targets for the Government estate. Environmental management systems (EMS) are a key enabler in supporting improvements in operational performance on the estate, particularly in areas such as energy, water and waste. Therefore, the new targets included a commitment that all Government Departments should have an EMS in place, based, or modelled upon, a recognised system (such as ISO 14001, or the European regulation EMAS).

Departmental performance against EMS estate targets has been published in annual Sustainable Development in Government Reports. The last report published by the Sustainable Development Commission, the independent watchdog, was in December 2005. It covered the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005 and is available at: http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/watchdog

Landfill

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agreement he has reached with the Environment Agency on landfill licensing fees for small pet cemeteries; and if he will make a statement. [86594]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 19 July 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 May 2006, Official Report, column 1915W.


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DEFRA officials, working with the Environment Agency, have now completed their investigation into the scope for taking an alternative approach to the permitting of pet cemeteries. We expect to announce a proposal very shortly.

Landscape Management

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned into (i) the capability of farmers to continue to manage the landscape and (ii) possible further changes to the Single Farm Payment to encourage this. [85120]

Barry Gardiner: The Government are committed to conserving and enhancing the countryside and biodiversity and recognise the key role played by farmers and other land managers. The introduction of Environmental Stewardship (ES) in 2005 was recognition of the benefits that can be delivered by farming and provides funding to farmers ad other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management on their land. Together with the introduction of cross-compliance conditions under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), this will ensure that the English landscape continues to be protected and enhanced. It will also encourage the retention, if not expansion, of countryside management skills.

Past research has considered implications of CAP Reform on land management, including the take-up of agri-environment schemes. A new research programme was set up last year to monitor the impacts of the introduction of the SPS on farm level change and the environment under the Agricultural Change and Environment Observatory Programme, details of which are at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/observatory/index.htm. The results of that programme will help inform the UK negotiating position in future EU discussions on both the SPS rules and wider CAP reform.

Environmental Stewardship has also an evaluation strategy, available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/pdfs/es/ES-EvaluationPlan-Feb06.pdf, and is supported by research and monitoring programmes. The projects under these ES programmes tend to focus on issues such as ‘effectiveness’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘improvements’ relating to the management options of the scheme. The ‘capability of farmers’ is not investigated independently but is a factor that can influence the outputs of these projects.

Methane

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken (a) in England and (b) internationally to reduce the effects of methane emissions. [84239]

Ian Pearson: UK methane emissions between 1990 and 2004 fell by an estimated 50 per cent., mainly as a consequence of reductions in sectors such as waste, agriculture, coal mining and natural gas distribution.

More recycling, helped by the introduction of the landfill tax, and an increase in the capture of landfill gas for energy recovery, has led to an estimated 63 per cent. fall in landfill emissions since 1990. There has been a 40 per cent. decrease in landfill emissions since
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1999, when the Government increased the landfill tax to £10 per tonne of waste. Agriculture accounts for around 41 per cent. of UK methane emissions, and emissions from this sector have fallen by an estimated 13 per cent. since 1990.

We are currently reviewing our approach to anaerobic digestion, which can help to capture and utilise emissions from manures and slurries, as part of the Government’s response to the Biomass Taskforce Report. Additionally we are continuing to fund research on options to reduce direct emissions from ruminants.

Methane emissions from coal mining fell by more than 70 per cent. between 1990 and 2004 due to the closure of coal mines as a consequence of fuel switching in the energy supply industry and UK Coal participation in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme. Methane gas extracted from mines and used as fuel has been exempt from the climate change levy since 2003. This exemption encourages the owners of mining facilities and decommissioned mines to invest in systems that capture methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

Fugitive emissions from natural gas have fallen by about 39 per cent. between 1990 and 2004. National Grid Gas, which owns and maintains the UK gas distribution network, is continuing to improve the UK gas network. Internationally, the UK is taking an active role in the international Methane to Markets Partnership, and will co-chair a new Agriculture Sub-Committee with Argentina. This will examine the scope for capturing methane from animal wastes in a cost-effective way.

Nanotechnology Products

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish details of the Government’s timetable for the introduction of mandatory regulations for nanotechnology products; and whether they will apply retrospectively for those products already on the market in the UK. [83267]

Ian Pearson: From a review the Department has undertaken and has published on the DEFRA website, I am assured that much of our current legislation addresses risks from materials regardless of their size. DEFRA has responsibility for the possible environmental risks from nanomaterials. If there are environmental risks which need controlling, irrespective of whether the cause of the risk is already marketed or not, they will be appropriately controlled and emergency powers are available if needed.

I am aware that very small materials may pose new risks and it is with that in mind that the UK are moving towards a framework of appropriate control. We are therefore currently gathering evidence to see if these types of products represent a hazard or risk to the environment that would require additional control. Our evidence-gathering phase, working across the UK Government, are scheduled to cover the next two years, at which point it is intended that there will be a fundamental review of the need for control. Given this, there are no plans for the mandatory regulation of nanotechnology products and hence no plans for publication.


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DEFRA recently consulted on this approach. The consultation period ended on 23 June but information is still available on the DEFRA website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/nanotech-vrs/index.htm

Natural England

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any of the current functions of (a) English Nature and (b) the Countryside Agency will be discarded in the transfer of responsibilities to Natural England. [87072]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 20 July 2006]: None of the current functions of English Nature or the Countryside Agency will be discarded in the transfer of responsibilities to Natural England, although some of the Countryside Agency’s responsibilities will transfer to the Commission for Rural Communities rather than to Natural England. We took the opportunity in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act to consolidate and simplify the way in which the roles of these bodies have been described in legislation since the 1940’s. However the statutory purpose of Natural England is deliberately drawn widely to encompass everything which the predecessor bodies were able to do. It will, of course, be a matter for the Board of Natural England, in consultation with Ministers, to decide how to distribute its resources between its various functions.

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in amalgamating English Nature and the Countryside Agency to form Natural England. [87074]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Significant progress has been made towards establishing Natural England. For over a year, the constituent bodies that are to form the new agency have been operating as a confederation of partners working together under a common overarching vision and purpose. In May this year we established Natural England as a “skeleton body”, with Chair, members and senior officers, to undertake preparatory work. In June, this skeleton body published a document setting out its “Strategic Direction”. Work is well underway on the remaining arrangements for Natural England to take on its full statutory functions on 1 October.

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new responsibilities Natural England will have in addition to those arising from the transfer of tasks from the Countryside Agency and English Nature. [87075]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 20 July 2006]: In addition to the transfer of responsibilities from the Countryside Agency and English Nature, Natural England will also assume responsibility for the majority of the functions which are currently undertaken by DEFRA’s Rural Development Service. Principal among these is the administration of agri-environment schemes. The functions will be formally set out in an agreement, under part 8 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, between the Secretary of State and Natural England.


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Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how Natural England will co-ordinate its activities with other Government bodies with responsibilities for the natural environment, with particular reference to the Environment Agency. [87076]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Natural England will need to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders at both the national and the regional level. Our Rural Strategy 2004 confirmed the particular importance we attach to the need for Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency to work closely together. A Memorandum of Understanding was agreed in September 2005 setting out how this could be achieved and it was a subject of lively debate during the passage of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. The first major collaborative project between Natural England and the Environment Agency, on catchment sensitive farming, has begun.

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [83974]

Barry Gardiner: Since his appointment my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited the South East three times, and the North West, the South West, and the West Midlands each once. In addition he has undertaken numerous engagements in London.

Onshore Windfarms

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the levels of carbon emissions relating to onshore windfarms. [86888]

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.

Once a windfarm has been commissioned it produce no carbon emission.

Of the carbon used in the development of a windfarm, the Sustainable Development Commission’s report published November 2005 makes clear that “the energy pay back for a windfarm is 3-10 months.”

A copy of the full report can be downloaded from their website. http://www.sd-commission.org.uk

Orang-utans

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent the habitat of the orang-utan being destroyed in (a) Malaysia, (b) Indonesia and (c) other countries by the increased use of palm oil. [83595]

Barry Gardiner: The Government are very conscious that increasing consumption of goods and services in the UK can have environmental and social consequences overseas. Defra is commissioning research on the environmental impacts of internationally sourced commodity production, and palm oil is one of the commodities being investigated. The results of the research will inform future policy development in the UK and abroad.


24 July 2006 : Column 724W

We are also working hard in a number of areas to tackle the important issue of natural habitat loss that might affect the orang-utan.

For example, the UK Government have been the major financial supporter of the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) run by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). More information is available at: http://www.unep.org/grasp.

In October 2005, EU Agriculture Ministers finalised new legislation on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) that will allow the EU to enter into agreements with developing countries to provide them with assistance to tackle illegal logging.

The Government are also seeking to address concerns regarding the use of palm oil for transport bio-fuel production. We are proposing to develop a carbon and sustainability assurance scheme to ensure that the best transport bio-fuels are used in the UK. The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership is looking to define the principal environmental criteria required to protect sensitive eco-systems and will prepare a draft environmental standard to apply to all fuels, including imports.

Organic Food

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of organic food sold in the UK which was produced in the UK; what powers the UK has to check the authenticity of organic food imported from abroad; and if he will make a statement. [85947]

Barry Gardiner: It is estimated that overall the percentage of organic food sold in the UK which was produced in the UK increased from 30 per cent. in 2002, to 44 per cent. in 2005. For food which can be produced in the UK the estimate for 2005 is 62 per cent. The Soil Association (1)estimate that in 2005, 66 per cent. of the organic primary produce sold by multiple retailers was sourced in the UK

Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 requires organic food imported from outside the EU to be produced to EU standards for organic production. The European Commission has recognised certain third countries as having equivalent systems of production and control. Otherwise decisions on equivalence are taken by the member states in response to requests from individual importers for the authorisations required for importing organic produce from third countries not recognised by the European Commission for this purpose.

    ( 1 ) Source :

    Organic Market Report 2006—published by the Soil Association—data collected by Soil Association from Tesco, Sainsburys and the Co-op.

Recreational Boaters

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the Environment Agency proposes to increase its charges to recreational boaters. [86295]

Barry Gardiner: The Environment Agency has a significant backlog of work on its waterways assets. Over the past year it has made considerable capital
24 July 2006 : Column 725W
investment towards reducing the backlog but in order for waterways to remain sustainable in the future, boaters will need to pay a fair and proportionate contribution towards their upkeep.

Sakhalin Island (Pipelines)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the monitoring of the construction of onshore oil and gas pipelines on Sakhalin Island to ensure that it meets environmental standards; and how the information is verified. [87576]

Ian Pearson: The Government have been closely involved in the Sakhalin project from both an environmental and social viewpoint. There has been close monitoring of the onshore construction of oil and gas pipelines by the potential lender group, including the Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Officials from both ECGD and the Department for International Development have visited the island and some of the construction sites.

Additionally, environmental consultants acting on behalf of the potential lenders are carrying out regular monitoring and verification of the project's performance.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department has received on how many rivers on Sakhalin Island were crossed with oil and gas pipelines as part of the Sakhalin II project outside the designated winter period detailed in the River Crossing Strategy. [87577]

Ian Pearson: The designated winter period for crossing rivers as part of the Sakhalin II project is1 December to 30 April.

Dates on which the rivers were crossed with oil and gas pipelines are available at the Sakhalin Energy website at:

    http://www.sakhalinenergy.com/en/proiect.asp?p=rc_list.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures his Department has taken to ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in place to prevent a net loss of salmon spawning area on Sakhalin Island as a result of construction activities by the Sakhalin II consortium; and if he will make a statement. [87578]

Ian Pearson: The Department has gathered information to ensure there are safeguards in place to prevent a net loss of salmon spawning area on Sakhalin Island. Information gathered on the effect of the Sakhalin II project on salmon spawning habitats includes:

    Official and ministerial meetings with Shell;

    Information included in Sakhalin Energy's River Crossing Strategy;

    Monitoring information published by Sakhalin Energy on its website;

    Information gathered during site visits carried out by Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) and other potential lenders and their independent consultants.

Sakhalin Energy has committed itself to ensuring no net loss of habitat. DEFRA will be monitoring performance through its close working relationships with the relevant departments such as ECGD, who, together with other
24 July 2006 : Column 726W
agencies such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), have commissioned independent monitoring of the project.

School Recycling

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recycling targets his Department has set for schools; and if he will make a statement; [86133]

(2) how much funding has been allocated for school recycling projects in England; and if he will make a statement; [86260]

(3) what discussions he has had with schools on (a) increasing the provision of recycling facilities and (b) promoting recycling awareness in schools. [86261]

Mr. Bradshaw: No recycling targets have been specifically set by the Government for schools. However, Defra does provide financial support for the operation of Eco-Schools, an international programme developed by the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) and managed in England by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS). Eco-Schools promotes environmental awareness around nine main themes, one of which is waste minimisation and recycling.

Eco-Schools involve the whole school (pupils, teachers, non-teaching employees and governors) together with members of the local community (parents, the local authority, the media and local businesses). The scheme enables schools to enter for an internationally recognised award, the highest level of which is the Green Flag, with intermediary awards of bronze and silver. Over 3,000 schools are currently registered, including 500 schools that have achieved Green Flag status.

Defra will be providing £40,000 of funding for Eco-Schools in 2006-07. £100,000 is also provided from non-grant sources, mainly from other sponsorship.

In addition, from April 2006 the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will be carrying out work with schools, including continuation of the Cycler assemblies, as part of their waste awareness programme. Many local authorities are involved with waste education work, both independently and with WRAP. The Environment Action Fund also funds some projects that work with young people on issues around sustainable consumption.

Sewage Sludge in Agriculture Regulations

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the Sewage Sludge in Agriculture Regulations will be implemented. [86560]

Ian Pearson: The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations came into force in 1989. We have consulted on proposed revisions and are currently seeking views from stakeholders before making recommendations on how best to proceed.

Six-day Movement Rule

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he made the last assessment of the Six Day Movement rule; and if he will make a statement. [87002]


24 July 2006 : Column 727W

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 20 July 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 525W.

I subsequently announced, on 7 February 2006, an independent review of the livestock movements rules. When announcing the review I made it clear that the length of the movement standstills applicable to any species was out of scope. I expect to receive the report shortly.

Slow Food

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote slow food. [84734]

Barry Gardiner: Under DEFRA's regional food strategy we have, since 2003, been providing an additional one million per year to support the quality regional food sector in England. Food from Britain (FFB) take the lead in the delivery of a national programme of activity that supports producers in the sector. In taking forward this programme of activities, which focuses on trade development, consumer awareness and business competitiveness, FFB work together with a range of organisations, including Slow Food UK.

A good example of this is ensuring a strong British presence at Slow Food's biennial Salone del Gusto food show held in Turin. Both organisations have worked well together for the last two shows in recruiting quality regional food producers for the event and in providing the necessary logistical support at the show. This close cooperation is continuing this year in preparation for the 2006 Salone del Gusto taking place in October.

Timber

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether members of his Department with responsibility for the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (a) have visited and (b) have plans to visit (i) Malaysia, (ii) Finland and (iii) Tasmania; and if he will make a statement. [85505]

Barry Gardiner: An official from the Department with responsibility for the Central Point of Expertise on Timber has visited Finland and Malaysia on official business. There are currently no arrangements for a visit to Tasmania.

Warm Front

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in England are eligible for assistance under the Warm Front programme; and how the overall number of eligible households has changed as a result of revisions to qualifying benefits in each year since 2000. [82896]

Ian Pearson: According to the eligibility criteria for 2004-05, around 2.8 million households in the private sector were eligible for Warm Front.

Approximately 40 per cent. of these households were in receipt of disability benefits only. The eligibility criteria have stayed broadly the same since 2000, with major changes only occurring because of changes to the
24 July 2006 : Column 728W
benefits or tax credit system, for example the replacement of income support for those of pension age with pension credit, and the replacement of working families and disabled persons tax credit with working and child tax credits. These changes had a minimal impact on the overall number of eligible households.

Water

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work has been carried out to establish the background levels of fluoxetine in the aquatic environment; and what estimate he has made of the amount of residues from (a) anti-depressant and (b) other drugs in the (i) livers, (ii) brains and (iii) muscle of fish. [84064]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Environment Agency has developed analytical methods for the detection of fluoxetine to levels of 0.002 microgrammes per litre (g/l) and norfluoxetine to 0.005 g/l. Monitoring was undertaken during 2005 downstream of a number of sewage works across England and Wales and fluoxetine (including norfluoxetine) was detected in 90 per cent. of the 39 samples. The average concentration detected was 0.017 g/l. An Environment Agency briefing on fluoxetine is available at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/fluoextine_1068996.pdf

As a follow-up to studies commissioned by the Environment Agency, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) has investigated the presence of pharmaceutical products, including the antidepressant Lofepramine, in the liver and muscles of a small number of pike in the Grand Union Canal. Pike are predatory fish and thus exhibit the highest levels of any residues likely to enter the food chain. Lofepramine was not detected in any of the samples.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) levels of pre-tax profits and (b) increases in water charges imposed by water companies. [80614]

Ian Pearson: Water companies made profits of£2.1 billion in 2004-05. The Government recognises that companies have to pay a return on their capital. However, water companies can only increase their profits by becoming more efficient and delivering all their services at less cost. These savings are also passed to customers in lower bills when the next price limits are set.

Average water and sewerage bills for household customers in England and Wales increased by 5.5 per cent. (including inflation) in April 2006. Customers' bills rose by an average of £15, from £279 to £294. The increases are in line with the price limits set by The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) for 2005-10 and will contribute towards a total capital investment programme of £16.8 billion for environmental and service improvements.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water on average was consumed by each person in England in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by water company. [84126]


24 July 2006 : Column 729W

Ian Pearson: Ofwat provides the Government with water consumption figures for England and Wales via the annual security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water report. Household water consumption is expressed in litres per head per day.

The following table provides company estimates of average household consumption for 2004-05.

2004-05
Water and sewerage companies (WaSC)

Anglian

143

Dwr Cymru

151

Northumbrian North

146

Northumbrian South

158

Severn Trent

132

SouthWest

161

Southern

157

Thames

159

United Utilities

142

Wessex

146

Yorkshire

145

WaSC Average

147

Water only companies (WoC)

Bournemouth and West Hampshire

167

Bristol

153

Cambridge

148

Dee Valley

145

Folkestone and Dover

159

Mid Kent

167

Portsmouth

159

South East

173

South Staffordshire

146

Sutton and East Surrey

173

Tendring Hundred

125

Three Valleys

178

WoC Average

165

Industry Average

150

Notes: 1. Averages are weighted by population of unmeasured households. 2. Excludes underground supply pipe leakage. 3. The 2004-05 report can be accessed on the Ofwat website at: http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/AttachmentsBy Title/leakage04-05.pdf/$FILE/leakage_04-05.pdf

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water consumption per head of population was planned by each water company in 2005-06. [84954]

Ian Pearson: All water companies in England and Wales prepared new water resources plans in 2004. The plans provided forecasts of per capita consumption (pcc) from 2005-06 to 2029-30. The following table shows pcc forecasts for 2005-06. These represent the theoretical average demand for water in a dry year, excluding the impact of any restrictions on water use. These numbers have been calculated from water companies’ forecasts of measured and unmeasured pcc.


24 July 2006 : Column 730W
Water company Forecast pcc in 2005-06 (litres/head/day)

Anglian Water

147

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water

171

Bristol Water

149

Cambridge Water

152

Cholderton and District Water

171

Dee Valley Water

158

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water

166

Essex and Suffolk Water

165

Folkestone and Dover Water

169

Mid Kent Water

170

Northumbrian Water

150

Portsmouth Water

169

Severn Trent Water

137

South East Water

185

South Staffordshire Water

155

South West Water

163

Southern Water

168

Sutton and East Surrey Water

187

Tendring Hundred Water

131

Thames Water

168

Three Valleys Water

183

United Utilities

154

Wessex Water

147

Yorkshire Water

150


Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water was lost as a result of water leaks in London in each year since 1997. [87724]

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. It collects leakage information from companies on their performance against these targets. This information is published annually in Ofwat’s ‘Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water report’.

Thames Water is the water supply company for the majority of customers in London. Some customers are supplied by Three Valleys Water, Essex and Suffolk Water, or Sutton and East Surrey Water. Ofwat collects leakage on the basis of company supply area only. Specific figures relating to London are not available.

Wildlife Sites

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards bringing 95 per cent. of all nationally important wildlife sites into favourable condition by 2010. [85460]

Barry Gardiner: As of 3 July 2006, 72.7 per cent. of the area of England covered by sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) was in favourable or recovering condition, compared with 56.9 per cent. in March 2003. This is good progress towards England’s public service agreement target for SSSIs and in line with our trajectory to achieve 95 per cent. by 2010.


24 July 2006 : Column 731W

Leader of the House

Divisions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many divisions were called off in each of the last three sessions due to failure to provide tellers; what the (a) date and (b) subject under discussion was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [87222]

Mr. Straw: The Journal Office of the House of Commons has supplied the following information for the last three Sessions, and for the current Session to date:

Session Date Business

2002-03

20 May 2003

Criminal Justice Bill (Report stage)

2003-04

None

2004-05

None

2005-06(1)

31 January 2006

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill (Programme) (No. 2)

(1) To 18 July 2006.

Early-day motions (E-tabling)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Leader of the House whether he has examined the merits of enabling e-tabling of Early Day Motions; and if he will make a statement. [87730]

Mr. Straw: This is essentially a matter for the House. The Government are however aware of concerns about the principle of electronic tabling for parliamentary proceedings without strong safeguards to ensure that any new system is not open to abuse, and that the Member concerned is personally responsible at each stage. I understand that the Procedure Committee is currently examining matters relating to EDMs, including the procedures for their tabling. I look forward to the Committee's recommendations.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House what steps he is taking to ensure that ministerial answers to parliamentary questions address the terms of the questions being asked. [87753]

Mr. Straw: In answering parliamentary questions, as in other areas, Ministers are subject to the obligations set out in the Ministerial Code, which states that:

    "It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament... Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest".

Ministerial answers should reflect the terms of the questions asked.

As I have already indicated to the House, I have raised the answering of parliamentary questions directly with ministerial colleagues. This covered the issue of content as well as the issue of timeliness.

Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House if he will ask the Modernisation Committee to examine the degree to which the quality of replies to parliamentary questions enables Ministers to be held accountable by hon. Members. [88280]


24 July 2006 : Column 732W

Mr. Straw: I have no plans to do so. I understand that the Procedure Committee may be considering an inquiry into parliamentary questions later this year. The Public Administration Select Committee (and its predecessor the Public Service Committee) has conducted regular inquiries since 1995-96 into aspects of the answers to parliamentary questions.

I also refer the hon. Member to the adjournment debate on written parliamentary questions of 28 June 2006, Official Report, columns 344-60, in which the role of parliamentary questions in contributing to ministerial accountability was discussed, including the pressure being placed on the system by the quantity of questions being tabled.

Transport

A13

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for improving the A13; what improvements were made to the A13 between Basildon and Southend-on-Sea during 2005; and if he will make a statement. [87256]

Dr. Ladyman: The A13 is the responsibility of the Secretary of State only between its junctions with the A1306 and A1089. We have no plans at present for improvements to this section of road. The remainder of the A13 is the responsibility of Southend on Sea borough council and Essex county council. Improvements to these sections of the road are therefore matters for these authorities. In his announcement of 6 July about Regional Funding Allocations, the Secretary of State approved entry into the programme of a scheme promoted by Essex county council for the improvement of the junction of A13 with A130 at Sadler’s Farm.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) minor and (b) serious accidents occurred on the A13 between the A405 and the M25 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [87258]

Dr. Ladyman: I presume the hon. Member means the A406. The number of serious and slight personal injury road accidents reported to the police on the A13 between the A406 and the M25 from 1996 to 2005 is given in the table.

Accidents occurring on A13 between A406 and M25:1996-2005
Serious Slight

1996

41

189

1997

52

194

1998

33

188

1999

12

100

2000

27

153

2001

22

119

2002

17

107

2003

30

91

2004

28

122

2005

12

92


24 July 2006 : Column 733W

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on properties purchased by the Highways Agency under compulsory purchase orders along the proposed A21 upgrade route. [86739]

Dr. Ladyman: No properties on this route have been compulsory purchased.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the environmental consequences of the proposed A21 upgrade. [87925]

Dr. Ladyman: The environmental consequences of the proposed A21 upgrade schemes are being assessed in accordance with the prescribed methodology set out in Volume 11 of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with residents in East Sussex regarding the proposed A21 upgrade. [87926]

Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency has had discussions with residents in East Sussex, regarding the proposed A21 upgrade, as part of public consultation undertaken from November 2002 onwards.

Discussions will continue with individuals, representative and statutory bodies on the issues raised by the proposals.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role (a) Rother district council and (b) East Sussex county council have played in the proposed A21 upgrade. [87929]

Dr. Ladyman: Rother district council and East Sussex county council have participated in the A21 upgrade consultation processes that have taken place both prior to and following the publication of the Access to Hastings Multi Modal Study.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency has spent on consultation fees while assessing the proposed A21 upgrade. [87930]

Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency spent £8,181.44 (ex-VAT) on the A21 upgrade consultation process that took place following the Access to Hastings Multi Modal Study.

These costs were incurred between April 2002 and February 2005 prior to Preferred Route announcements for the Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst improvement and the Flimwell to Robertsbridge improvement.

Accident Statistics

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal traffic accidents there were in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87498]


24 July 2006 : Column 734W

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians have been (a) killed and (b) injured by vehicles in each of the last 10 years. [87123]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of pedestrians killed in personal injury road accidents reported to the police for the years up to 2004 is published in Table 2 of Road Casualties Great Britain: 2004. Pedestrian fatalities for 2005 are published in Table 1 of Road Casualties Great Britain: Main Results: 2005.

The number of pedestrian injured in personal injury road accidents reported to the police over the last10 years up to 2004 can be obtained from the in Table 5c of Road Casualties Great Britain: 2004 and Road Casualties Great Britain: 2002. The number of pedestrians injured in 2005 can be obtained from Table 1 of Road Casualties Great Britain: Main Results: 2005.

Copies of these publications are in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred on or near pedestrian crossings in each year since 1997; and how many of these accidents involved the (a) death and (b) injury of pedestrians. [87124]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accident reported to the police that occurred on or within 50 m of a pedestrian crossing facility, and those that involved a pedestrian death or injury are given in the table.

Accidents on or within 50 m of a pedestrian crossing facility: 1997-2005
All accidents Accidents involving pedestrian death Accidents involving pedestrian injury

1997

34,881

247

10,889

1998

35,679

229

11,007

1999

35,455

225

10,706

2000

34,835

213

10,433

2001

33,979

195

10,188

2002

33,999

206

9,948

2003

33,018

232

9,582

2004

30,824

181

9,171

2005

29,610

183

8,844


Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hit-and-run incidents there have been in each London borough in each of the last five years. [86772]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police which involved one or more hit and run drivers or riders for the years 2001-05, in each London borough is given in the table.


24 July 2006 : Column 735W
Number of personal injury accidents involving one or more hit and run drivers/riders by London borough: 2001-05
Number of accidents
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Barking

65

83

78

89

81

Barnet

169

217

191

178

153

Bexley

86

86

81

65

70

Brent

209

234

199

195

142

Bromley

102

153

95

97

106

Camden

255

237

212

161

103

City of London

72

53

35

51

33

Croydon

187

193

183

177

158

Ealing

163

225

217

175

169

Enfield

183

253

225

215

146

Greenwich

126

189

153

119

129

Hackney

265

292

235

224

187

Hammersmith

116

142

136

111

124

Haringey

232

252

237

176

120

Harrow

75

83

73

76

63

Havering

72

93

103

95

59

Hillingdon

113

131

130

101

91

Hounslow

186

154

184

137

105

Islington

244

252

195

143

114

Kensington and Chelsea

83

124

108

75

88

Kingston upon Thames

48

41

34

42

37

Lambeth

297

304

305

203

161

Lewisham

201

206

202

160

136

Merton

72

88

88

53

52

Newham

249

254

202

143

195

Redbridge

194

166

215

162

157

Richmond upon Thames

91

69

69

54

45

Southwark

293

294

271

170

171

Sutton

67

49

56

46

42

Tower Hamlets

228

209

208

164

151

Waltham Forest

177

184

195

161

157

Wandsworth

134

201

141

137

106

Westminster

326

335

317

231

200

Source:
Transport for London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic accidents there were involving (a) pedestrians, (b) buses, (c) trams and (d) cyclists in London in each year since 1997. [87499]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury accidents reported to the police involving (a) pedestrian casualties, (b) buses, (c) trams and (d) cyclists in London in each year since 1997 are given in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 736W
Personal injury accidents by vehicle type: London: 1997-2005
Number of accidents
With pedestrian casualties Involving a bus or coach Involving a tram( 1) Involving pedal cycles

1997

8,919

2,776

4,482

1998

8,778

2,957

4,359

1999

8,748

3,083

2

4,251

2000

8,351

3,188

9

3,586

2001

7,903

3,153

3

3,379

2002

7,238

2,862

6

3,104

2003

6,905

3,098

9

3,129

2004

6,206

2,939

10

3,021

2005

5,852

2,658

6

2,979

(1) Data for accidents involving trams is only available from 1999 onwards
Source:
Transport for London

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sleep-related traffic accidents occurred on motorways in each of the past three years; how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries were incurred; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of such accidents. [87584]

Dr. Ladyman: I refer to my answers to thehon. Member for South Swindon (Anne Snelgrove) of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 153W and to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 740W.

Bicycle Bells

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation to make it a requirement for all bicycles to be fitted with bells at all times whilst being ridden. [87358]

Dr. Ladyman: Bells are currently required to be fitted at the point of sale of a bicycle, but there is no obligation to retain the bell when the cycle is in use, or indeed for the bell to be used.

New harmonised European construction standards for bicycles come into force in November this year. Although they do not cover bicycle bells, the introduction of these standards makes this a sensible moment to review our current policies on cycle construction, including the question of bells.

I would of course undertake a public consultation before making any proposal to amend regulations.

Boat Collisions (River Thames)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many collisions of boats there were on the River Thames in each of the last five years. [87786]

Dr. Ladyman: For each of the five years from 2001 to 2005 the total numbers of collisions involving all types of craft in the Thames area recorded by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are:

Number

2001

1

2002

2

2003

3

2004

3

2005

6


24 July 2006 : Column 737W

Boat Licences

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many boat licences were granted in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87501]

Dr. Ladyman: This information is not held by the Department for Transport.

Bus Driver Tests

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the pass rate was in each of the last three financial years for driving tests conducted by the Driving Standards Agency examiners on bus driver candidates; and how many bus driver candidates passed in each year. [87858]

Dr. Ladyman: The following table shows PCV (bus) tests conducted, number of passes and the pass rate for the last three financial years. Only tests conducted by DSA examiners are included.

Number tests Number passes Pass rate (percentage)

2003-04

10,083

4,591

45.5

2004-05

12,251

5,369

43.8

2005-06

11,648

5,175

44.4


Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 258W, on cargo transfers, what guidance his Department has issued to harbour authorities on applying for (a) Harbour Revision Orders and (b) other orders under the Harbours Act 1964; and whether such guidance applies only in England and Wales. [87808]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department has published advice on the procedures for obtaining Harbour Orders on the Department's website at

    http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_shipping/documents/page/dft_shipping_611467.hcsp.

The guidance applies only to England and Wales.

Crossrail

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies he has undertaken on the likely impact of Crossrail on the Heathrow Express. [86265]

Derek Twigg [holding answer 18 July 2006]: The report of the Crossrail Timetable Working Group, published on 22 June 2006, considers the impact of Crossrail services on existing rail services and future services allowing for growth, including Heathrow Express. A copy of the report can be found on my Department’s website:

    http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611918.pdf


24 July 2006 : Column 738W

Cycling Accidents

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal, (b) serious and (c) slight injuries suffered by cyclists on (i) urban roads and (ii) rural roads in each year since 2003 resulted from collisions involving (A) at least one motor vehicle, (B) no motor vehicles and (C) powered two-wheel vehicles. [87211]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is given in the table. The figures relate to casualties in personal injury road accidents reported to the police.

Cyclist Casualties on Urban and Rural Roads, by Vehicle Involved in an Accident: 2003-05
Accidents involving: 2003 2004 2005

Motor vehicle

Urban

Fatal

58

67

65

Serious

1,644

1,537

1,628

Slight

12,041

11,877

11,787

Rural

Fatal

46

52

65

Serious

479

477

432

Slight

2,170

2,063

2,083

No motor vehicle

Urban

Fatal

60

73

73

Serious

1,739

1,635

1,728

Slight

12,352

12,186

12,023

Rural

Fatal

54

61

75

Serious

552

538

484

Slight

2,258

2,138

2,173

Two-wheeled motor vehicle

Urban

Fatal

2

2

2

Serious

37

41

30

Slight

234

225

217

Rural

Fatal

0

0

3

Serious

8

14

13

Slight

56

38

47


Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have (a) died and (b) received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident in each of the last 10 years. [87212]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of fatalities in personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving cyclists is given in the table.


24 July 2006 : Column 739W
Fatalities in accidents involving a cyclist, Great Britain, 1996-2005
Number

1996

209

1997

192

1998

164

1999

184

2000

138

2001

141

2002

138

2003

120

2004

139

2005

157


The Department does not collect information on the type of injuries sustained during personal injury road accidents, and cannot identify serious head injuries.

Delegated Examiners

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements for conducting tests and keeping proper records have to be in place before he will grant his approval to the appointment of delegated examiners. [87836]

Dr. Ladyman: Before an organisation is approved to use delegated examiners it is visited by the local Supervising Driving Examiner. This is to confirm that all the necessary arrangements are in place to ensure that driving tests are conducted fairly and properly and under similar conditions to those conducted by DSA’s own examiners.

Delegated examiners are required to submit monthly returns to DSA including pass and fail statistics and the number of pass certificates and driving test reports issued. They are also required to notify the Agency if they have not conducted any tests during the month.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Driver Standards Agency has a dedicated team of people who supervise the operations of Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners. [87844]

Dr. Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency's (DSA) sector managers are responsible for supervising delegated examiners. All sector managers are supervising driving examiners who undertake this quality assurance work as part of their general standards maintenance duties. DSA has 38 sector managers in post.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in the Driver Standards Agency work solely on conducting supervised Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiner check tests. [87845]

Dr. Ladyman: None. The 38 sector managers in the Driving Standards Agency undertake this quality assurance work as part of their general standards maintenance duties.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether research has been undertaken by his Department into the effectiveness and safety of Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners conducting tests. [87851]

Dr. Ladyman: No research has been undertaken.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when passenger carrying vehicle delegated examiners were first introduced. [87852]


24 July 2006 : Column 740W

Dr. Ladyman: Delegated examiners for the passenger carrying transport industry were introduced by a predecessor to the Department for Transport at least 30 years ago. Responsibility for the scheme passed to the Driving Standards Agency when the Agency was established in September 1990.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what fee is charged by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) to train a passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) delegated examiner; and what income DSA has earned from training PCV delegated examiners in each of the last three financial years. [87853]

Dr. Ladyman: The charge for each full four-week course is £4,000 per trainee. Trainees who need to repeat only part of the course pay a proportional fee.

The income generated from delegated PCV examiner training fees in each of the last three financial years was:

£

2003-04

29,000

2004-05

34,000

2005-06

49,000


Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many actual supervised (check) driving tests the Driving Standards Agency undertook on passenger carrying vehicle delegated examiners in each the last three financial years; and how many tests were cancelled in each year. [87855]

Dr. Ladyman: 78 supervisory tests were conducted during the period 2005-06. No data about supervisory tests was collected before that time.

No supervisory tests have been cancelled.

Driver Numbers

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of drivers aged (a) 18 to 21 and (b) over 60 years in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990 and (iii) 2005 expressed (A) as a number and (B) as a proportion of the driving population. [87361]

Dr. Ladyman: The following table gives the number of people aged 18 to 21 and over 60 who hold a full driving licence and the proportion of the total number of licence holders in these age groups in 1985-86, 1989-91 and 2004, based on data from the National Travel Survey.

No survey was undertaken in 1980. Only aggregated information is available for 1989-91. Figures for 2005 are not yet available.


24 July 2006 : Column 741W

24 July 2006 : Column 742W
Number of full driving licence holders and proportion of total licence holders aged 18 to 21 years and over 60 years
1985-86 1989-91 2004

Estimated number of licence holders (million)

18-21

1.6

1.9

1.1

Over 60

4.1

4.9

7.0

Percentage of total number of licence holders

18-21

7

7

3

Over 60

77

18

22


Driving Licence Directive

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received on the second EC Directive on driving licences, 91/439/EEC. [85986]

Dr. Ladyman: The second EC Directive on driving licences, 91/439/EEC, which was implemented in Great Britain on 1 January 1997, covers a very wide range of subjects relating to driving licensing matters. The Department for Transport receives many enquiries and representations on matters relating to the provisions of this directive.

Driving Safety Forward

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to date is of the Driving Standards Agency’s Driving Safety Forward agenda. [87838]

Dr. Ladyman: Cost to date of the Driving Safety Forward project is £349,978.70 (excluding VAT) paid to the Agency’s consultants, Symbia.

This excludes costs for staff time which have not been apportioned specifically to the project.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why there was no competitive tender for the contract for the Driving Safety Forward agenda; and how EU procurement rules were complied with in this instance. [87839]

Dr. Ladyman: Competitive tenders for the organisational review consultancy were invited from “OGC Buying.Solutions’” framework contractors. Seven tenders were received.

“OGC Buying.Solutions’” framework contracts have already been advertised and awarded in accordance with EU Procurement Directives.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the end date is for the contract with Symbia Ltd. for the Driver Standards Agency's Driving Safety Forward agenda. [87840]

Dr. Ladyman: In accordance with the latest contract variation, the end date of the contract with Symbia Ltd. is 29 September 2006.

Driving Standards Agency

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) consultants and (b) contractors have been employed by the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last three financial years; what type of work each carried out; and how much was spent on each in each year. [87837]

Dr. Ladyman: A table has been placed in the Libraries of the House which shows information about consultants employed by the Driving Standards Agency in the last three financial years.

Providing the requested information about contractors employed by the Driving Standards Agency would entail disproportionate costs and so is not included.

Driving Tests

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average waiting time for a driving test was (a) in England and (b) broken down by (i) region and (ii) test centre in each of the last five years. [85810]

Dr. Ladyman: Available figures for number of weeks waiting time nationally, and in each DSA region, in each of the last five years are as follows:

Number of weeks
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

London

7.5

11.5

11.0

7.3

Midlands

8.6

10.2

8.8

5.8

Northern

8.4

10.1

7.8

5.3

Scotland

6.7

6.0

5.6

6.2

Wales

6.7

7.7

6.5

5.8

National

6.8

7.8

9.6

8.4

6.0


24 July 2006 : Column 743W

Figures broken down by DSA region in 2001-02 are not available. Such figures, average waiting times for England as a whole, and for individual test centres, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, sets of tables showing waiting times at each centre during the same week in late March of each of the last five years have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

EU Directives

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many full-time equivalent staff are working on implementing and administering EU directives, regulations and policies in his Department; [86758]

(2) what the cost to his Department was of implementing and administering EU directives, regulations and policies in 2005-06. [86759]

Dr. Ladyman: Implementation and administration of EU directives, regulations and policies is an important part of the work of the Department for Transport and we seek to do this in a timely and efficient way consistent with the principles of better regulation. Implementation and administration of EU policy is generally carried out by staff as part of their wider work and activity is not broken down in this way. The information requested could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

First Capital Connect (Cheap Day Returns)

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he was first informed of the plans of First Capital Connect to prevent use of cheap day return tickets on former Thameslink services serving Hertfordshire; what representations he made to First Capital Connect about these plans; and whether he took these plans into account in his decision to award the relevant franchise to First Capital Connect. [83563]

Derek Twigg: The First Capital Connect bid included a proposal to restrict the use of day return fares during the evening peak on certain routes. Day returns are fares that are not regulated and it is for operators to decide whether to offer them, at what price and with what restrictions.

All proposals in franchise bids are assessed in their deliverability and their compatibility with current fares policy.

Foreign Officers (Competency Certificates)

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate controls on issuing certificates of equivalent competency for foreign officers serving on UK ships. [87548]

Dr. Ladyman: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to establish a working group, including representatives from the shipping industry and trade unions, to examine these issues.


24 July 2006 : Column 744W

Free Bus Travel

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Government are providing to West Lancashire district council to provide free bus travel for (a) older and (b) disabled persons; and whether it plans to use all of this funding to provide free travel. [83466]

Gillian Merron: The funding for concessionary fares is provided through revenue support grant which is unhypothecated; therefore the funding for concessionary fares is not separately identified. It is for local authorities to deicide on their overall funding priorities based on their judgment of local need and circumstances.

Pensioners and disabled people in England have had an entitlement to free off-peak local bus travel, from April 2006, which will be extended in April 2008 to free off-peak bus travel across the country.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of cars owned by the Government Car and Despatch Agency come with air conditioning as standard. [87932]

Dr. Ladyman: 99.04 per cent. of the Government Car and Despatch Agency’s car fleet has air conditioning as standard.

Great Barford By-pass

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the original estimate of cost was for the Great Barford by-pass; and what the anticipated outturn of expenditure is. [87431]

Dr. Ladyman: The original estimated cost of the scheme at TPI entry in 1998 was £25 million and excluded VAT, ‘optimism bias’ projected inflation and revising costs in line with the road construction price index.

Following the application of these Treasury Green Book principles in April 2003, the costs of schemes submitted for TPI entry approval have been reported including the above items. The estimated cost for the A421 was then adjusted to £37 million. A budget increase to £58 million was approved by Ministers prior to start of works.

Highways Expenditure

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total expenditure on highways in Haltemprice and Howden constituency was in each of the last two financial years; and what the average figure was per constituency in each year. [88592]

Dr. Ladyman: Expenditure on highways (both by local authorities and the Highways Agency) cannot be disaggregated to constituency level except at disproportionate cost.


24 July 2006 : Column 745W

Illegal Drugs (Driving)

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorists killed in road accidents in each of the last five years had traces of illegal drugs in their bodies. [87485]

Dr. Ladyman: This information is not available. A study of fatal accident victims during the period 1996-2000 showed that in a sample of 779 drivers and riders killed, 17 per cent. had traces of illegal drugs. In 8 per cent. of the sample the drug detected was cannabis, traces of which remain detectable in the body long after consumption.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of motorists who drove with illegal drugs in their bodies in the last 12 months. [87486]

Dr. Ladyman: No such estimate is made by the Department. A 2004 European Commission study “Impaired motorists: methods of roadside testing and assessment for licensing” co-funded by member states, examined the prevalence of illegal drugs in drivers. The summary of the results of the UK element of that study are at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_611649-03.hcsp#P58_ 5194. The full report is at www.immortal.or.at/

Light Rail Procurement

Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish the Government's guidance on light rail procurement. [87434]

Derek Twigg: We hope to publish guidance on light rail later this year.


24 July 2006 : Column 746W

London Underground

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of safety measures on the London Underground network in relation to protection against the threat of terrorism. [85257]

Gillian Merron [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The Department for Transport keeps the preventative transport security measures we require under regular review. Industry implementation of the measures is subject to an ongoing programme of compliance monitoring and enforcement by DFT inspectors.

M25

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the concrete surface of the M25 between junctions 8 and 9 is to be replaced with quieter surfacing. [87082]

Dr. Ladyman: The M25 between junctions 8 and 9 will not require resurfacing for maintenance needs within the period of the Agency’s current five year forward programme. However when it does need to be resurfaced a quieter surfacing will be used as a matter of course.

Major Roads Projects

Ms Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the forecast costs are of each Highways Agency major roads project; [88133]

(2) what steps he is taking to tackle the effects of increasing construction material and energy prices on major transport projects. [88134]

Dr. Ladyman: The Chief Executive of the Highways Agency wrote to the Transport Select Committee in April 2006 with information on the latest ministerially approved budgets for major road schemes. I have placed the same data in the Libraries of the House. Since April the following changes have been approved:

£ million
Previous approved budget cost Latest approved budget cost

M25 J12-15 Widening

120

127

A47 Thorney Bypass

27

28

A66 Temple Sowerby and Improvement at Winderwath

39

40

M40/A404 Handy Cross Junction Improvement

14

13

A66 Greta Bridge to Stephen Bank Improvement

9

10

A66 Long Newton Junction

8

12

A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass

103

106

A590 High and Low Newton Bypass

22

35

A2 Bean-Cobham Phase 2

101

120

A2/A282 Dartford Improvement

72

122


In addition, on 20 July the Secretary of State’s announcement on the Inspector’s Report and scheme orders for the A3 Hindhead Improvement noted that the latest estimate for that scheme is £370.9 million.

The Chief Executive noted in his letter to the Select Committee that the cost estimates were being reviewed, principally to take account of construction inflation.

The Secretary of State has now asked Mike Nichols, Chairman of the Nichols Group, to review the Highways Agency approach to cost estimating and project management, and to make recommendations, including on how the agency should best assess, monitor and report on risks to its cost estimates. He will report in the autumn.


24 July 2006 : Column 747W

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the economic effects of the implementation of the published scheme for improvements to the A303 Stonehenge in the first year after construction. [88240]

Dr. Ladyman: The Highways Agency's economic analysis of the A303 Stonehenge scheme is based on an assumed start of construction in 2008. On this assumption, it is estimated that in the first year after construction (2013) of the published scheme there would be travel time savings of between £3.495 million at low growth and £6.317 million at high growth. In addition, there would be safety benefits (resulting from a reduction in accidents) of between £2.035 million at low growth and £2.211 million at high growth.

Motorway Service Areas

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish a consultation document on regulations governing motorway service areas. [87583]

Dr. Ladyman: I have asked the Highways Agency to undertake a review of policy on roadside facilities, including motorway service areas. As part of the review process we shall be carrying out a public consultation exercise. It is anticipated that this consultation will commence shortly.

Oil Handling Facilities

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanism is used to grant consent to new oil handling facilities (a) within harbour authority areas and (b) elsewhere in UK internal and territorial waters. [87809]

Dr. Ladyman: There is no single mechanism for the granting of consent to new oil handling facilities. There are a range of possible consent regimes for such facilities, dependant upon where they are, whether there are new works involved and the extent to which there are existing powers available to the authorities involved.

Oil Spills (Contingency Plans)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the comments received in response to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s consultation on oil spill contingency plans covering ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Firth of Forth were categorised as not relevant; what proportion of such comments related to the effects of oil spill plan amendments in combination with effects of the proposed transfers; whether these comments will be made available to Forth Ports to assist them in assessing the transfer proposals under regulation 3 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994; and whether these comments will be published. [86736]

Dr. Ladyman: This information was placed on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website on the14 July 2006 in the form of a Responses Consultation Table and a Summary Analysis of Consultee Responses. The website address for these documents is:

    http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-guidance-requlation/mcga -consultations/mcga-current_consultations/mcga-consultations-sts_forth/mcga-consultations-sts_outcome.htm

All comments relevant to the consultation process have been included in these documents.


24 July 2006 : Column 748W

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to report to him following its consultation on (a) the implications for European wildlife sites of the proposed changes to Forth Ports oil contingency plans and (b) the other documents on which comment was invited in connection with ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Firth of Forth; and what mechanism is proposed for making the findings public. [86737]

Dr. Ladyman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced on 14 July 2006 its intention to approve the Oil Spill Contingency Plan covering Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers in the Firth of Forth submitted by the harbour authority, and the harbour authority’s proposed amendments to the overarching Clearwater Forth contingency plan, subject to a number of specified changes being made.

Concurrent with this announcement documents were placed on the MCA website. These included an assessment of the implications of the Firth of Forth STS transfer Oil Spill Contingency Plan in conjunction with the Clearwater Forth Plan for designated nature conservation sites, a summary analysis of consultee comments, a consultee table and a copy of the letter sent to the harbour authority (Forth Ports) in which the specified changes were set out. The website address for these documents is: http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4 mca/mcga-guidance-regulation/mcga-consultations/mcga-current_consultations/mcga-consultations-sts_ forth/mcga-consultations-sts_outcome.htm

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses have been made by (a) statutory bodies, (b) non-governmental and community organisations and (c) private individuals to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s consultation on ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Firth of Forth. [86738]

Dr. Ladyman: This information was placed on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website on the 14 July 2006 in the form of a Responses Consultation Table and a Summary Analysis of Consultee Responses. The website address for these documents is:

    http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-quidance-requlation/mcga-consultations/mcga-current_consultations/mcga-consultations-sts_forth/mcga-consultations-sts_outcome.htm

Professional Drivers

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he plans to make to the existing regulations in respect of the working hours of professional drivers; and if he will make a statement. [86948]

Dr. Ladyman: A new, directly applicable, EU regulation on drivers' hours has recently been adopted by the EU institutions—it was published in the Official Journal in April 2006 and will, for the most part, come into force in April 2007.

We will consult later this year on the amendments that will need to be made to domestic legislation to facilitate compliance with the new EU regulation. These amendments will adopt all of the national derogations available in the new EU regulation (without any additional
24 July 2006 : Column 749W
restrictions), apart from the newly available derogation for specialised vehicles transporting money and/or valuables—in Article 13.1.(m). We do not intend to adopt this derogation because there is no obvious case to exempt these operations which currently take place within the scope of the existing drivers' hours rules without any apparent difficulties.

The working time of mobile workers (basically drivers, crew and other travelling staff) operating on vehicles subject to the EU regulation on drivers' hours is governed by the European Road Transport Working Time Directive 2002/15/EC. A review of the UK's implementing regulations is due to commence later this year.

Railways

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which railway lines in England and Wales are under consideration for reopening; and what his policy is on the reopening of railway lines. [85533]

Derek Twigg: In July next year we will publish our High Level Output Specification. This will set out the railway outputs the Government wish to buy in terms of capacity, safety and reliability and the funding to support this for the next five years. It is for the industry to determine what inputs are needed to deliver this.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what solutions he has identified to overcrowding on the railways. [82505]

Derek Twigg: We are currently seeing huge growth in the railways, with more than a billion passengers carried last year, and this is set to continue. To help meet this challenge we are investing record amounts in the network.

Work is being undertaken to improve timetabling, infrastructure maintenance and renewals and other factors that can impact on reliable delivery of train services, which in turn will impact on crowding levels. We are also considering different measures to increase the capacity of the network, from train layout and length, turnaround times and infrastructure improvements. Major investment programmes such as the west coast main line modernisation project have already seen capacity improvements.

It is for the train operating companies to take decisions about the deployment of rolling stock. We will continue to review train counts and train plans to assess whether resources are being deployed effectively.

Register of Driver Training

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to date is of the development of the new Integrated Register of Driver Training system; and how much of the expenditure went to Capita. [87841]

Dr. Ladyman: The software development cost to date for the Integrated Register of Driver Trainers is £1,140,000 including VAT.


24 July 2006 : Column 750W

We are negotiating the costs of other variations to existing requirements and the additional costs arising from the extension of the project timescales and expect the total software development cost to be £2,400,000 including VAT.

All of this expenditure will go to Capita.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) change of control notices and (b) variation orders have been issued by the Driver Standards Agency in the development of the new Integrated Register of Driver Training system; and what the cost of each is. [87842]

Dr. Ladyman: 16 change control notices (CCNs) have been approved to date at a total cost of £332,470 including VAT. We are negotiating the costs of other variations and will issue further CCNs. The following table lists the cost and the number of individual variations covered in each of the CCNs agreed to date:

CCN Change Requests/Variations (Number) Cost (excluding VAT) (£)

1

21

83,687

2

3

25,097

3

23

15,015

4

7

4,620

5

7

7,095

6

1

4,950

7

1

4,785

9

1

2,250

10

2

5,940

11

1

17,490

12

(1)

14,450

15

8

33,568

16

3

8,279

17

7

26,338

18

1

2,008

19

5

27,381

Total

282,953

(1) Various security-related variations.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) estimated cost of and (b) timetable for developing the Integrated Register of Driver Training is; and whether each has changed since the project was established. [87843]

Dr. Ladyman: The estimated software development cost for the Integrated Register of Driver Trainers is £2,400,000 including VAT. The initial estimate when the project was established was £1,090,000 including VAT but this was based upon a very basic definition of the system. This definition changed significantly as the detailed requirements were identified during the course of the project.

The system was initially expected to be go live in August 2005. The first three registers, ADI, LGV and Pass Plus actually went live in March 2006. We expect the ORDIT and Fleet registers to be completed during quarter 3 and the remaining CBT register in quarter4 of this year.


24 July 2006 : Column 751W

Road Schemes

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) original estimated cost of and (b) most recent cost estimates are for (i) Highways Agency schemes in the Targeted Programme of Improvements and (ii) all local authority schemes approved through the local transport plans. [86139]

Dr. Ladyman: For Highways Agency schemes, I refer the hon. Member to my answer today to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather).

I have placed information relating to major local authority schemes (generally those over £5 million) in the Libraries of the House.


24 July 2006 : Column 752W

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which road schemes were commenced by the Highways Agency in the Eastern Region in each year from 1999-2000 to 2005-06; and what the (a) original estimated cost, (b) final outturn cost, (c) original completion date and (d) actual completion date was of each project. [87432]

Dr. Ladyman: The following table lists all major road schemes, located in the Eastern Region, that have started works each year since 2000-01. In addition to the major projects detailed, the Highways Agency delivers many maintenance and smaller scheme improvements costing less than £5 million. The Highways Agency does not hold information for these schemes in the requested format.

Scheme TPI entry cost (£ million) Total estimated (£ million) Projected completion date at TPI entry Actual/latest estimated completion date

Schemes starting construction in 2000-01

A6 Clapham Bypass

31

44

2002-03

December 2002

A11 Roudham Heath-Attleborough improvement

27

50

2002-03

March 2003

Schemes starting construction in 2001-02

A120 Stansted-Braintree improvement

92

105

2004-05

July 2004

Schemes starting construction in 2002-03

A10 Wadesmill-Colliers End

24

40

2003-04

October 2004

Schemes starting construction in 2003-04

None

Schemes starting construction in 2004-05

A14 Rookery Crossroads

5

14

2004-05

March 2006

A47 Thorney Bypass

15

25

2008-09

December 2005

A421 Great Barford Bypass(1)

25

58

2004-05

August 2006

Schemes starting construction in 2005-06

A11 Attleborough Bypass(1)

14

29

2007-08

2006-07

M1 J6A-10 Widening(1)

241

289

2007-08

2008-09

A428 Caxton Common to Hardwick improvement(1)

22

55

2006-07

2007-08

(1 )Under construction


This information is not available for the A1 Tempsford Junction improvement as it is not a scheme within the Targeted Programme Improvements. It was, however, the only other major scheme in the Eastern Region, to have started works since 1999-2000. This scheme was completed in October 2001.

Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) harbours and (b) oil handling facilities are subject to the Merchant Shipping(Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998; and what proportion are located within statutory harbour authorityareas. [87811]

Dr. Ladyman: There are 167 Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 Oil Spill Contingency Plans approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

159 of the 167 plans are harbour authority plans.

Eight of the 167 plans are stand alone oil handling facility plans within a harbour authority.

The majority of the 167 harbour authority plans incorporate oil handling facilities plans within their area.

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how proposals to regulate Ship-to-Ship Transfers of oil and other cargoes in UK territorial waters will be implemented in harbour authority areas. [87813]


24 July 2006 : Column 753W

Dr. Ladyman: My officials are working on draft legislation which would control bunker transfers and Ship to Ship Transfers (STS) of oil or other hazardous and noxious substances carried as cargo in the UK's territorial sea and internal waters. It is not intended to apply the regulations to cover operations in statutory harbour areas.

Stopping Distances

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to review the stopping distances quoted within the Highway Code; and if he will make a statement. [88153]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department is currently considering major revisions to the Highway Code, following the public consultation which ended on12 May 2006. We intend to publish the new edition of the code in spring 2007, subject to parliamentary approval. Stopping distances quoted in the code will be considered as part of the revision.

Street Lighting

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of electricity for street lighting on national roads supervised by the Highways Agency was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [86966]

Dr. Ladyman: For the financial year ending31 March 2006 the gross spend, including VAT, on street lighting on the roads for which the Highways Agency is responsible, was £9.1 million.

Thameslink 2000

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the Thameslink 2000 project. [88157]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department for Transport and the Department for Communities and local government are currently considering the Inspector's report of the public inquiry held last year into the Thameslink 2000 project. Decisions on the various applications made by Network Rail in relation to this project will be announced as soon as is reasonably possible.

Traffic (Peterborough)

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total volume of traffic in the Peterborough city council area was in each year since 2001; and what the percentage change has been over that period. [88198]

Dr. Ladyman: The following table gives the information requested:

Estimates of traffic volume, and year-on-year percentage change, in the Peterborough city council area: 2001 to 2005
All motor vehicles (million vehicle kilometres) Year on year percentage change (percentage)

2001

1,658

2002

1,705

2.8

2003

1,731

1.5

2004

1,775

2.5

2005

1,760

-0.8


24 July 2006 : Column 754W

Transport Economic Schemes (Cornwall and Scilly)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expenditure on transport infrastructure schemes to support economic regeneration his Department is considering in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly; what the schemes are; how much of the expenditure will come from public funds; and when he expects decisions to be made. [87609]

Gillian Merron: The Department is currently considering two proposals for funding transport infrastructure put forward by Cornwall to support economic regeneration. The first concerns the transfer of RAF St. Mawgan from a military civilian airport (Newquay airport). The second is a new combined freight and passenger vessel to operate between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, plus harbour improvements at Penzance and St. Mary's.

Funding for these schemes is subject to them satisfying the Department's funding approval requirements, but currently the requested DfT contribution for each scheme is approximately£21.4 million for the airport and £26.5 million for the Isles of Scilly project. Decisions will be taken on completion of the appraisal process. We are aware of Cornwall’s’ need for a decision soon on the Newquay airport and outstanding issues are being discussed.

Transport Safety

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transportation Safety; what note was kept of each meeting; and if he will make a statement. [81245]

Dr. Ladyman: The Secretary of State has not met the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport Safety (PACTS). The Minister of State gave the ministerial response to a PACTS Westminster lecture in December last year and addressed a joint reception organised by the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) and PACTS on 5 July. He also met with the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) who was accompanied by the executive director of PACTS in May, to discuss the Road Safety Bill.

A note of that meeting is kept by the Department.

UK Seafarers

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to increase the number of UK seafarers working regularly at sea and the number of new entrant trainees; [87547]

(2) when the Government will make a decision on linking tonnage paid by the shipping companies to the employment of British officers. [87549]

Dr. Ladyman: I am considering the advice of the Shipping Task Force sub-group that was formed to propose measures to improve the maritime employment environment. The advice of the sub-group includes measures linked to both the training and employment of UK seafarers. I will make an announcement in due course.


24 July 2006 : Column 755W

Vehicle Statistics (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) low emission cars, (b) cars, (c) sports utility vehicles and (d) motorcycles are owned per person in London. [87783]

Dr. Ladyman: The following table is derived from DVLA data on vehicle registrations. It provides details of vehicles registered to keepers located in Greater London, compared with Greater London’s population aged 17 or over. Some of the vehicles included, especially company cars, will be registered to London addresses but not driven in London.

Vehicles registered per 1,000 adults in Greater London at the end of 2005
Number

Cars: under 120 g/km CO2

2

All cars

434

Motorcycles

14


The DVLA vehicles database does not identify sports utility vehicles as a specific vehicle type, therefore no data can be provided to answer (c).

Defence

Lebanon

11. Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution he expects British armed forces to make to the Prime Minister's proposed international force to be sent to Lebanon. [87194]

Mr. Ingram: Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to those members of the armed forces, and their partners and families, who have contributed in any way to the evacuation of UK and other nationals from Lebanon over recent days. The evacuation was conducted with the utmost professionalism, under difficult conditions, with the safety of evacuees paramount at all times. I should also like to convey my thanks to those members of the FCO and the MOD who have been involved in the evacuation. I offer all those involved my personal congratulations on a job well done.

Secondly, on the subject of international support for Lebanon, I can tell the hon. Member that plans are under development, both in terms of a peacekeeping deployment, and in terms of the humanitarian response. Specifically, discussions have been held with international partners including France and the United States, on the subject of an international force. Crucially, whatever is proposed will need the support of both the Lebanese Government and Israel. If an international force is to be deployed, HMG will consider how best it can support the international community in that effort.

African Conflicts

12. Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps British military personnel are taking to help to prevent conflicts in Africa. [87195]


24 July 2006 : Column 756W

Mr. Ingram: UK armed forces personnel are playing an important role in helping prevent conflict in Africa, by building peace support capacity and teaching the principles of good governance and the democratic accountability of armed forces. British military personnel are providing training and technical assistance to the African Union, to African regional organisations and peace support centres and bilaterally to key partner countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone, in order to help build long-term conflict prevention and peacekeeping capacity.

Kosovo

13. Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the involvement of British troops in the NATO deployment in Kosovo. [87196]

Mr. Ingram: The UK contribution to the NATO KFOR mission is around 180 troops, providing a highly effective force able to deploy across the whole of Kosovo. We remain committed to supporting NATO as they work alongside the UN Administrative Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo Police Service. All of those responsible for security are working closely to maintain a safe and secure environment during the ongoing Final Status process.

Forces' Accommodation

14. David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the quality of maintenance of forces' accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [87197]

Mr. Watson: The Government attach a high priority to the quality of life of Service personnel and their families and are committed to improving and maintaining the quality of accommodation provided to them to the highest standards.

Service Families Accommodation is graded into four categories for condition, and I can tell the House that 95 per cent. of our housing stock in Great Britain falls into the top two of those categories. We are aware that more needs to be done to improve our housing stock, and it is for that reason we have introduced Prime Contracting to cover all repairs and maintenance. One contract replaces 22 previous contracts. This should lead to improved standards of work and responsiveness and much higher levels of satisfaction for families.

For our single Service personnel, we have already delivered over 10,000 new single living bedspaces with en-suite facilities, and a further 21,000 are due to be completed by early 2008. This will provide a vastly improved estate.

In addition, I am also pleased to announce today that the MOD is entering into negotiations to extend the Single Living Accommodation Modernisation Project by a further 5 years from 2007, which is a further illustration of our commitment to improve the living standards for our single personnel. This second Phase will provide a minimum of 3,000 additional bedspaces and create a minimum of 100 apprenticeships within the Prime Contractor's supply chain.


24 July 2006 : Column 757W

Nuclear Deterrent

15. Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is the Government's policy to maintain the nuclear deterrent in the long-term. [87199]

Des Browne: We made it clear in our manifesto at the 2005 General Election that we are committed to retaining the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent. The Prime Minister has made clear that this commitment applies for the planned life of the current system. Decisions on the position beyond that point will be made later this year.

Trident

16. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it takes to target Trident missiles when at sea. [87200]

Des Browne: All the United Kingdom’s Trident missiles have been de-targeted since 1994. The missiles can be targeted in sufficient time to meet any foreseeable requirement.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants listed are working on Trident and nuclear weapons policy, broken down by grade. [86696]

Des Browne [holding answer 20 July 2006]: There are nine full-time civil servants in the Ministry of Defence working on Trident and nuclear weapons policy: 1 x Senior Civil Servant, 3 x Band B1s, 2 x Band B2s, 2 x Band Cs and 1 x Band E. They consult and engage others, as necessary.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason a discussion of a replacement for the Trident nuclear system was not included in the section on future capabilities of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, HC 1394. [86924]

Des Browne: The Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06 is a retrospective document accounting forthe Department's use of the resources Parliament authorised for Defence against the performance baseline in the Departmental Plan 2005-09 reflecting the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review.

As we said in paragraph 18 of the report, work has now started to prepare for decisions on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent beyond the planned life of the current system. The section of the Annual Report and Accounts on future capabilities deals with major equipment projects which have passed the Main Gate investment approval point. It did not deal with any replacement of Trident, as no decisions on that have yet been taken in detail or principle, and hence there was and still is no project in that respect.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research work has been carried out to improve the (a) reliability, (b) performance, (c) longevity and (d) safety of the UK’s Trident nuclear warhead. [87169]


24 July 2006 : Column 758W

Des Browne: Since the introduction into service of the current Trident warhead in 1994, no research has been undertaken to improve its performance. Work continues, however, under the stockpile stewardship programme at AWE to underwrite the continued reliability, longevity, and safety of our Trident warheads.

Army Recruits

17. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new recruits have joined the Army in the last two years, broken down by region of origin. [87201]

Mr. Watson: Over the last two financial years 21,880 recruits to the Regular Army enlisted nationally ranging from 380 in Northern Ireland to 3,650 in the North East. In my hon. Friend’s own region, the West Midlands, he should be proud that 2,150 joined. I will place full details in the Library.

Armoured Vehicles

18. Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with defence manufacturers concerning armoured vehicles capable of withstanding improvised explosive devices. [87202]

Des Browne: I announced an urgent review of protected vehicles for operations on 26 June. Today in a written statement I confirmed that this review had highlighted the requirement for a protected vehicle with capabilities between those of the heavily armoured Warrior and the light and manoeuvrable SNATCH Land Rover. As the statement explained we shall buy around 100 additional Vector vehicles, up-armour a further 70 430 series armoured personnel carriers and introduce around 100 Cougar wheeled armoured vehicles.

21. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the availability of UK armoured vehicles in theatres of war. [87205]

Des Browne: As at 16 July, the availability of armoured vehicles deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan generally exceeded our targets.

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times armoured vehicles broke down in Iraq between January and May 2006, broken down by vehicle type. [84803]

Mr. Ingram: We keep records of vehicle availability, rather than each breakdown, to allow for more efficient fleet management. This also provides a clearer picture
24 July 2006 : Column 759W
for commanders on the ground of the assets at their disposal. Between January and May 2006 vehicle availability for UK forces in Iraq was:

Vehicle Availability (Percentage)

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and Challenger 2 Armoured Recovery Vehicle

77

Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle and Armoured Fighting Vehicle 432

81

Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)

85

Saxon Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier

93

Snatch Protected Patrol Vehicle

90


Iraq

19. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in southern Iraq. [87203]

Des Browne: The four provinces covered by Multi-National Division (South East) remain relatively quiet compared to other areas of Iraq, accounting for around 4 per cent. of all attacks. The security situation in Basra, however, continues to cause concern. To address the problems in the province, the Iraqi Government, has announced a security plan for Basra.
24 July 2006 : Column 760W
I discussed the plan with Prime Minister Maliki this morning. The plan is in its early stages but has already resulted in increased presence of Iraqi security forces—with more to come.

Elsewhere in MND(South East) the security situation is more positive. Our progress with security and training of the Iraqi security forces was a factor in making Al Muthanna province the first where responsibility for security was handed over to Iraqi control. I expect Maysan and Dhi Qar provinces to follow suit before the end of this year, once the conditions on the ground are right.

Mr. Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much ordnance was used by British forces in Iraq in each of the last six months, broken down by type; [86101]

(2) how much and what type of ordnance was used by British forces in Iraq in the past six months. [86590]

Des Browne [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Routine training accounted for the majority of most ammunition natures expended in Iraq by British forces. The following ammunition, broken down by type, was expended in each month, between January and June 2006:

Ordnance type Explanation of use January February March April May

Small Arms Ammunition

Personal weapons and machine guns

216,373

133,924

163,477

150,989

314,466

Pyrotechnics

E.g. Signal equipment and flares

829

67

1,086

1,126

606

Hand Grenades

E.g. High explosive or smoke grenades

774

733

564

267

760

Mortar Bombs

Both 51mm and 81mm calibre

803

30

906

864

738

30mm Calibre Rounds

Main armament on Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle (Rarden Cannon)

240

420

0

0

1,065

Main Battle Tank Natures

Main armament on Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks

0

0

0

189

0

Anti-Riot Natures

Baton Rounds

829

0

1,571

743

1,307

Explosive Ordnance Disposal

E.g. Demolition charges and controlled explosions

2,918

0

0

1,965

656

Anti Tank Mines

Used as high explosive donor charges in controlled explosions

3

0

0

1

0

Engineer Natures

Explosive cartridges for construction tools

0

0

0

0

2

Smoke Dischargers

Vehicle mounted smoke launchers

21

0

0

0

0

EPW2

GPS guided 1,000lb bomb

0

0

0

0

1



24 July 2006 : Column 761W

24 July 2006 : Column 762W
Ordnance type Explanation of use June Training Operational use Total

Small Arms Ammunition

Personal weapons and machine guns

104,531

1,039,094

44,666

1,083,760

Pyrotechnics

E.g. Signal equipment and flares

360

598

3,476

4,074

Hand Grenades

E.g. High explosive or smoke grenades

344

2,409

1,033

3,442

Mortar Bombs

Both 51mm and 81mm calibre

273

3,424

190

3,614

30mm Calibre Rounds

Main armament on Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle (Rarden Cannon)

405

60

2,070

2,130

Main Battle Tank Natures

Main armament on Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks

0

189

0

189

Anti-Riot Natures

Baton Rounds

385

4,244

591

4,835

Explosive Ordnance Disposal

E.g. Demolition charges and controlled explosions

3,170

78

8,631

8,709

Anti Tank Mines

Used as high explosive donor charges in controlled explosions

0

0

4

4

Engineer Natures

Explosive cartridges for construction tools

0

0

2

2

Smoke Dischargers

Vehicle mounted smoke launchers

91

75

37

112

EPW2

GPS guided 1000 lb bomb

0

0

1

1


Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the aims are of the provincial reconstruction team in Basra; and what he expects the team to achieve. [87188]

Des Browne: Provincial reconstruction teams aim to provide support to build the capacity of Iraqi institutions at a provincial level.

The Basra team does this through coordinating the delivery of UK and international development and reconstruction assistance to southern Iraq; further development of the capacity of the provincial government; and assistance in the smooth transition of responsibility for security in southern Iraq to the Iraqi civil authorities.

Afghanistan

20. Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in training Afghan security forces in peacekeeping. [87204]

Des Browne: Over 28,000 Afghan troops and over 30,000 police have been trained and equipped, although their training does not focus specifically on peacekeeping activities.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries have troops operating under the international security assistance force in Afghanistan; how many troops they had deployed on 10 July; and what restrictions are in place on the use of these forces. [85093]

Des Browne: As at 10 July, the following 36 countries contribute a total of around 10,000 troops to the international security assistance force (ISAF) in Afghanistan:

    Albania

    Austria

    Azerbaijan

    Belgium

    Bulgaria

    Canada

    Celand

    Croatia

    Czech Republic

    Denmark

    Estonia

    Finland

    France

    FYROM

    Germany

    Greece

    Hungary

    Ireland

    Italy

    Latvia

    Lithuania

    Luxembourg

    New Zealand

    Norway

    Poland

    Portugal

    Romania

    Slovakia

    Slovenia

    Spain

    Sweden

    Switzerland

    The Netherlands

    Turkey

    UK

    US

I am withholding details of the caveats nations may apply to the use of their armed forces in Afghanistan as this would, or would be likely, to prejudice the safety of our armed forces and those of our allies. The nations deploying to ISAF stage 3 in the south well understand the challenging operational environment there, and the need for robust rules of engagement.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) the number of Intelligence Corps personnel based in Helmand province and (b) the resources provided to the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan. [85774]


24 July 2006 : Column 763W

Des Browne: The force package deployed to Afghanistan is that recommended by the Chiefs of Staff as the right force for the task.

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities are available for the detention of military detainees in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [86700]

Des Browne [holding answer 20 July 2006]: UK armed forces have temporary holding facilities available in the south. NATO and UK policy is that detainees should either be transferred to the Afghan authorities within 96 hours, or released.

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of British forces in Afghanistan's counter-narcotics campaign. [87198]

Des Browne: Troops deployed as part of the NATO-led International security assistance force (ISAF)—including British forces deployed as part of the Helmand Task Force—are authorised to provide support to Afghan counter-narcotics forces, including training, and they will help the Afghans create a secure environment in which economic development and institutional reform—both essential to the elimination of the opium industry—can take place.

Armed Forces' Salaries

22. Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints his Department has received about the administration of salaries of British armed forces personnel paid through the joint personnel administration system. [87206]

Mr. Watson: The initial roll out of joint personnel administration for pay and a wide range of other administrative services has been to the Royal Air Force only, and formal complaints about aspects of the system have been received in the form of 19 items of ministerial correspondence, and some 236 complaints via the internal complaints procedure of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency. None have been received under the formal Royal Air Force redress of complaints procedure. However, the errors have reduced from 1,100 in May to 485 in June.

Africa

23. Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government are taking to promote peace and security in Africa. [87207]

Mr. Ingram: The Government are supporting the building of African conflict prevention and conflict management capacity at continent, regional and national level, in line with our wider G8 and international commitments. A key aspect of this work is UK funding and technical support for the development of an African Peace and Security Architecture under the auspices of the African Union, enhancing the capacity of Africans to lead mediation and peacekeeping within their own continent. At regional level, the Government are supporting a range of political dialogues, security sector reform
24 July 2006 : Column 764W
programmes and civil society building initiatives designed to improve stability and security. In addition, British forces are helping develop African peace support operations capacity and are directly supporting a number of peacekeeping missions in Africa.

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advertising campaigns the Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87067]

Mr. Watson: The only advertising campaigns undertaken by the Ministry of Defence are Armed Forces recruitment related. The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested. Details that are available are as follows:

£ million
Financial Year Royal Navy Royal Marines Army RAF

2000-01

5.040

0.671

5.572

3.136

2001-02

4.370

2.320

5.236

2.791

2002-03

3.090

1.400

5.378

2.824

2003-04

4.693

1.060

7.750

3.130


The naval service undertakes two main bursts of advertising activity each year, one in January and one in September/October. The RAFs main campaigns were run in August/September and December/January. The Army's recruit advertising is an all year round activity.

Aerial Vehicle Technology

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made with the development of an uninhabited aerial vehicle technology demonstrator programme. [86663]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is currently working towards contract for an Uninhabited Air Vehicle Technology Demonstrator Programme (TDP) jointly funded with industry as announced in the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Air Operations/Exercises

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that there are more sites where close air support operations and forward air control exercises can take place. [85214]

Mr. Watson: We keep the number of sites used for training exercises under constant review.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the availability of training sites for close air support operations and forward air control exercises. [86276]


24 July 2006 : Column 765W

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence Training areas are used for Close Air Support and Forward Air Control training wherever possible. Private land is also used for training as are sites overseas. We keep the number of sites used for training exercises under constant review.

Aircraft

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) fighter, (b) training, (c) tanker and
24 July 2006 : Column 766W
transport, (d) reconnaissance and (e) maritime patrol aircraft were in service with the Royal Air Force in each year since 1997. [84805]

Mr. Ingram: The following table gives aircraft numbers that were planned to be in service as at end March of each financial year (FY) shown. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Financial Year Fighter Training Tanker and Transport Reconnaissance Maritime Patrol Aircraft

1996-97

360

470

100

20

30

1997-98

360

460

100

20

30

1998-99

360

460

100

20

20

1999-2000

330

470

100

20

20

2000-01

460

460

90

20

20

2001-02

510

440

90

20

20

2002-03

420

440

90

20

20

2003-04

420

430

90

20

20

2004-05

370

420

90

20

20

2005-06

380

410

90

20

20

Notes: 1. Only provisional figures are available for FY 2000-01. 2. Training numbers include approximately 150 gliders each year. 3. Contracted fleets are not included.

Aircraft Carriers

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what fleet tankers will be available to support each future aircraft carrier, if the in-service dates for the two new carriers are (a) confirmed as 2012 and 2015, (b) moved to 2015 and 2018 and (c) postponed to 2018 and 2021. [85379]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 July 2006]: Existing Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers and/or those planned within the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme will support our Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF). As for all projects, the in-service dates for CVF will only be set following the main investment decision and once the dates have been approved by Ministers. As I indicated in my answer on 19 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1579-80W, the main investment decision has not yet been taken.

Annington Homes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the houses sold to Annington Homes have subsequently been (a) demolished and (b) sold to private buyers (i) in total and (ii) in Colchester. [86335]

Mr. Watson: Under the terms of the 1996 Sale Agreement with Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL), houses for which this Department has no further requirement are handed back to AHL. The Ministry of Defence maintains no records of how such properties are disposed of or developed. As a private company it is entirely a matter for AHL. It is believed that the majority are sold on the open market.

May I suggest that for further information the hon. Member may wish to write to the Chief Executive of AHL at the following address:

    Mr. J Hopkins

    1 James Street

    London W1U 1DR

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much Annington Homes has paid to the Government for the houses it acquired from the Ministry of Defence (a) in total and (b) for the housing stock at Colchester. [86336]

Mr. Watson: The 1996 sale of 57,428 properties in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd raised £1.662 billion for the Exchequer.

Some 1,400 properties in the Colchester area were included in the sale, and were sold for £34,694,122. Of these, all but 46, which were surplus to requirements at the time, were leased back by the Ministry of Defence to house service families.

Armed Forces Personnel

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the conventions are concerning armed services regular and reserve personnel having contact with hon. Members; and when they were last circulated. [86395]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Queen's Regulations provide guidance to service personnel regarding contacts with Members of Parliament for example on handling inquiries from Members, visit requests and political activity. Queen's Regulations are publicly available and I have placed copies in the Libraries of the House.


24 July 2006 : Column 767W

There are no service regulations restricting the right of service personnel as citizens to write to their Member of Parliament.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1436W, on injured British servicemen (treatment), how many armed forces personnel in (a) the Army, (b) the RAF and (c) the Royal Navy have been transferred to the NHS for continued medical care as a result of injuries sustained in (i) Iraq since 2003 and (ii) Afghanistan since 2002. [85833]

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1942W, which stated that details of armed forces personnel who have been medically discharged from the armed forces as a result of a condition that can be attributed specifically to service in Iraq or Afghanistan and whose continued medical care has therefore been transferred to the NHS, could be obtained only by a search of the individual medical records of all personnel discharged from the armed forces since the beginning of those Operations. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

The vast majority of serving military patients in the UK requiring secondary care are treated in NHS facilities by NHS staff. I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) of 10 May 2006, Official Report, column 288W, which set out the number of Service personnel treated since the year 2000 at those NHS hospitals where Ministry of Defence Hospitals are hosted. It is not possible to break down these figures to show the number of patients treated for injuries sustained on particular operations. Such information is not held centrally and to obtain it would require the examination of the individual medical records of every patient. These can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality. To seek permission and then to extract the information from the records, could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how compensation for service personnel dismissed from the armed forces on the grounds of sexuality is assessed; and if he will make a statement. [87789]

Mr. Watson: The assessment of compensation in cases where service personnel were dismissed from the armed forces on the grounds of sexual orientation depends on the facts and circumstances of each individual case, taking into account detailed schedules of loss from the claimants and the jurisprudence of the ECHR.

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces who were dismissed on the grounds of their sexuality are yet to receive compensation. [87956]

Mr. Watson: There are 62 claims against the Ministry of Defence from ex-Service personnel who allege that they were dismissed from the armed forces as a result of their sexual orientation that remain to be settled.


24 July 2006 : Column 768W

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which NATO members require their troops to pay income tax when they are on active service. [87913]

Mr. Watson: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Chaplains

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many chaplains are serving with the (a) Royal Navy and Royal Marines, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force; how many in each category are (i) Christian, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Muslim, (iv) Hindu, (v) Sikh and (vi) of other religions; and what the total cost was to public funds of providing chaplaincy services in the last year for which figures are available. [87381]

Mr. Watson: There are a total of 376 chaplains serving with the armed forces. The breakdown per service is as follows:

Number

Royal Navy and Royal Marines

74

Army

221

RAF

76

All

(1)5

Total

376

(1) There are five chaplains who serve all three services from the following religions, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish. All are civilian chaplains and do not deploy.

The breakdown by religion is as follows:

Number

Christian

371

Jewish

(1)1

Muslim

1

Hindu

1

Sikh

1

Buddhist

1

Total

376

(1) The Jewish chaplain is an honorary officiating chaplain.

In addition, there are 207 officiating chaplains to the forces (OCF) who are fee earners and are used by the armed forces in the United Kingdom only.

There are also three Hindu Pandits who are engaged as locally employed civilians specifically to provide pastoral care and support to Gurkhas.

The last available figures for the total cost to public funds for providing chaplaincy services to the armed forces are as follows:

£

Uniformed Chaplains(1)

29,200,000

Civilian Chaplains(2)

240,000

OCF(3)

636,000

Total

30,076,000

(1) The figures are based on capitation rates as at October 2005. (2) This category includes Buddhist, Hindu (including Pandits), Sikh, Muslim, and Jewish faiths. It is an estimated cost and includes travel and subsistence. (3) Estimated costs of officiating chaplains to the forces.

24 July 2006 : Column 769W

Colombia

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 209W, on Colombia, what his assessment is of the current level of risk to UK personnel involved in the bespoke counter narcotics training provided to Colombian law enforcement agencies. [88237]

Mr. Ingram: The risk to any personnel associated with counter narcotics activities in Columbia is potentially very high.

Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months. [67527]

Des Browne: Paragraph 5.28 of the ministerial code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Minister for Veterans will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 31 May 2006 (Ref: 03319/2006). [87936]

Mr. Watson: I wrote to the hon. Member on 21 July 2006.

Counter-terrorism

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget has been made available to support his Department's Counter-Terrorism Science and Technology Centre at Porton Down for 2006-07. [86928]

Mr. Ingram: Some £5 million has been made available in 2006-07 to support the Department's Counter-Terrorism Science and Technology Centre. Planned consumption of resources in 2006-07 will take into consideration funding already available through MOD's research budget in support of related equipment projects to ensure value for money is achieved. Once fully established it is anticipated that the centre will attract further third party funding from other Government Departments and industry through joint projects.

Defence Planning Assumptions

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a review of the Defence planning assumptions will be conducted before the forthcoming comprehensive spending review. [87182]

Des Browne: Defence planning assumptions are reviewed as part of the Department’s routine strategic planning cycle. This work is about to begin and is planned to complete in spring 2008.


24 July 2006 : Column 770W

Defence Procurement Agency

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the piloting of the operating framework for the Defence Procurement Agency; and if he will make a statement. [86659]

Mr. Ingram: As stated in the Ministry of Defence's response of 7 July 2006 to the House of Commons Defence Committee's report on the Defence Industrial Strategy, the DPA has completed development work regarding the project and programme management element of the operating framework, drawing on industry best practice. This work will form the basis of a wider Acquisition Operating Framework encompassing all of the Department's acquisition business.

From September 2006 to February 2007 we will undertake a pilot with a number of project teams from the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation to evaluate our proposed approach to embedding project and programme best practice and to measure the benefits achieved. This will de-risk the full roll-out of the Acquisition Operating Framework which is due to commence in 2007.

Departmental Teams

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) function is and (b) annual cost in each of the last three years was of the departmental (i) Diversity and Work Balance Team, (ii) Ethnic Monitoring Team, (iii) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Team, (iv) Disability Steering Committee Team and (v) Gender Panel; whether he has considered the merits of amalgamating these bodies into one unit; and what plans he has for their future. [86167]

Mr. Watson [holding answer 19 July 2006]: The function of the Diversity and Work Life Balance (DWLB) Team is to: ensure the Department complies with, and reports against, the extant and emerging UK and EU legal requirements; develop and support the implementation of associated policy and guidance for the Department’s 100,000 civilians; support the achievement of a work force truly representative of the community it serves; and assist the Department in being an employer of choice through contributing to the development of a contemporary employment framework. The salary and associated costs of the DWLB Team over the past three years is:

£

2003-04

405,911

2004-05

416,320

2005-06

426,728


The Ethnic Minorities Steering Committee (Ethnic Monitoring Team (sic)), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Team (sic)) Disability Steering Committee and Gender Panel all essentially perform the same function. This is to support the Department taking diversity forward by providing expertise, relevant to the strand they represent, presenting an avenue for members of under-represented groups to have their issues raised
24 July 2006 : Column 771W
and considered, and also to take the Department’s message on diversity back to people within their strands. The members of the Committees, Forum and Panel are MOD employees who volunteer and perform the work in addition to their usual MOD duties, in work time. Therefore, we do not have separate cost information.

There are no plans to amalgamate these bodies into one unit. They provide an expertise relevant to their particular diversity strand and while they continue to be effective in moving the Department’s diversity agenda forward, we propose to continue with their operation.

Emission Permits

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many carbon dioxide emission permits have been allocated to military establishments; and what the actual emissions were for each military establishment included in the EU Emissions Trading scheme in its first year of operation. [86470]

Mr. Watson: I can confirm 267,428 carbon dioxide emission permits were allocated to military establishments. The following table details how many carbon dioxide emission permits were allocated to each Ministry of Defence establishment, and the level of emissions during the first year (2005-06) of operation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.


24 July 2006 : Column 772W
Ministry of Defence Site Annual emission permits Actual emissions 2005 (tonnes Carbon Dioxide)

RAF Lossiemouth

7,389

14,967

RAF Fylingdales

42

73

RAF Brize Norton

7,235

9,072

RAF Wyton

3,176

3,751

RAF Waddington

5,081

5,419

RAF Halton

7,835

8,350

RAF Lyneham

7,041

7,443

Turners Generation—Fylingdales

20,882

21,371

DCAE Cosford

7,445

7,519

RAF High Wycombe

2,571

2,582

RAF Marham

6,528

6,469

RAF Aldergrove

9,005

8,227

RAF Kinloss

6,135

5,588

RAF Stafford

6,975

6,352

RAF Cottesmore

4,882

4,412

RAF Honington

4,711

4,102

RAF Coningsby

4,503

3,516

RAF St. Athan

11,546

7,542

RNAS Culdrose

5,224

6,250

HMS Collingwood

6,169

7,257

RNAS Yeovilton

9,406

10,639

HMS Sultan

5,204

5,110

RMA Sandhurst

5,000

5,933

Wattisham Airfield

4,460

5,268

Prince Phillip Barracks

5,409

6,287

Colchester Garrsion

7,279

7,737

Aldershot Military Power Station

11,037

10,164

Brompton Barracks

3,307

2,930

Bicester Garrison

14,493

14,345

Donnington

9,480

15,800

HMNB Faslane Babcock Naval Services Ltd

18,568

20,041

RNAD Coulport—Babcock Naval Services Ltd

11,059

8,229

HMNB Portsmouth—Fleet Support Ltd

28,351

20,110

Total

267,428

272,855


Forces Recruitment

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were recruited by the (a) RAF and (b) Royal Navy in each year since 1997, broken down by personnel type. [85755]

Mr. Watson: Intake from civil life to the United Kingdom Regular Royal Navy and Royal Air Force broken down by Officers and other ranks and branch or trade group is shown in the following tables:

Naval Service Officer intake from civil life by branch
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Naval Service total

370

380

410

450

410

420

340

370

370

Royal Navy total

340

350

370

410

350

370

310

320

320

Warfare

220

220

220

220

230

220

180

180

190

Engineer

50

60

80

100

70

80

60

60

60

Logistics

40

30

20

30

30

30

20

30

20

Medical

20

20

30

30

20

30

30

40

30

QARNNS(1)

10

10

10

10

10

10

Chaplains

10

10

10

10

10

Dental

10

10

Unknown

Royal Marines

40

40

40

40

60

50

40

50

50

(1 )Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.

24 July 2006 : Column 773W

24 July 2006 : Column 774W

Naval Service ratings intake from civil life by branch
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Naval Service total

4,230

4,380

4,530

4,180

4,600

4,800

3,780

3,320

3,570

Royal Navy total

3,250

3,290

3,350

3,010

3,410

3,530

2,730

2,300

2,370

Logistics

440

350

360

510

560

620

470

380

340

Engineering

1,260

1,090

990

900

1,010

1,150

1,060

930

1,000

Medical

70

100

130

40

120

130

80

70

80

QARNNS

40

20

30

30

40

50

40

30

30

Warfare

1,340

1,660

1,780

1,490

1,620

1,480

990

800

860

Warfare Support

100

80

60

40

70

100

80

80

60

Royal Marines total

980

1,090

1,180

1,170

1,190

1,280

1,050

1,030

1,190

General Service

940

1,070

1,160

1,140

1,160

1,250

1,020

980

1,160

Band

40

20

30

30

20

30

30

40

30


RAF Officer intake from civil life by branch
1997-981998-991999-20002000-012001-022002-032003-042004-052005-06

Total

400

430

480

440

450

460

520

290

(2)320

Pilots

90

140

160

140

160

150

170

80

(2)90

Engineering

30

40

40

40

50

60

70

40

(2)20

Administration

70

70

40

30

40

40

50

20

(2)30

Navigators

40

40

50

50

40

50

40

10

(2)20

Fighter Control

30

20

40

40

20

10

20

20

(2)20

Medical

10

10

20

20

20

20

30

30

(2)30

Air Traffic Control

30

30

30

30

30

30

20

20

(2)20

Ops Support

40

40

40

30

20

20

10

10

(2)20

Supply

10

20

20

20

30

30

30

10

(2)

Intelligence

10

10

10

10

10

20

20

10

(2)

PMRAFNS(1)

10

10

20

10

10

10

(2)

Dental

10

10

(2)

Chaplains

10

(2)

Legal

10

(2)

Other

30

20

(2)40

(1 )Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service.


24 July 2006 : Column 775W

24 July 2006 : Column 776W
RAF other ranks intake from civil life by trade group
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Total

3,130

3,820

3,610

3,190

3,340

3,990

3,640

1,880

(2)1,110

Aircrew

50

40

70

60

60

50

70

50

(2)50

Aircraft Engineering

720

800

730

600

580

700

590

260

(2)250

Avionics

370

450

390

340

320

380

330

(2)

Electronics Engineering

160

60

170

210

260

260

270

20

(2)

General Engineering

120

180

140

180

170

140

190

110

(2)60

Transport

130

170

140

160

180

290

260

140

(2)30

Security

510

790

760

470

400

480

480

410

(2)260

Air Traffic Control

90

110

120

130

150

170

140

50

(2)40

Administration

40

50

30

40

30

50

50

20

(2)20

Intelligence

140

170

140

190

170

220

130

100

(2)140

Fighter Control

80

70

70

100

80

60

60

80

(2)40

Painters/Finishers

70

140

100

40

110

150

150

40

(2)20

Photographer

50

80

70

70

80

100

70

40

(2)10

Medical

160

160

170

140

100

190

170

120

(2)40

Dental

10

10

30

20

20

30

20

10

(2)10

Personnel administration

150

190

100

70

140

170

140

40

(2)20

Supply

200

280

320

260

300

310

260

200

(2)70

Catering

70

60

60

100

190

250

260

180

(2)40

Musicians

10

10

20

10

10

10

10

(2)10

(1) Zero or rounded to zero. (2 )Provisional.

UK Regular Forces includes Nursing services and excludes Full Time Reserve Service personnel and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel.

Figures include re-enlistments and rejoined reservists.

Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Helicopters

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer Questions (a) 71152 and (b) 71153, on helicopter fuel tank protection, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South for answer on 12 May 2006. [85277]

Mr. Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1940W.

Medical/Dental Officers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report on service medical and dental officers to be published. [87170]

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial I made today.

Military (Low Flying)

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his written statement of 18 July 2006, on the Pattern of Military Low Flying Across the UK 2005-06, when he expects the 2005-06 report to be (a) completed and (b) published. [87728]

Mr. Watson: The Pattern of Military Low Flying Across the United Kingdom 2005-06 is expected to be completed and printed in early August, and will be placed in the Library of the House during the recess. I will write to the hon. Member when that has been done.

Military Vehicles

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which vehicles British service personnel have been (a) killed and (b) injured as a result of hostile action in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [81591]

Des Browne: 25 British servicemen have been killed as a result of hostile action while in military vehicles since the start of the conflict in Iraq. Twenty of these were travelling in armoured Land Rovers, two in unarmoured Land Rovers, two in Warrior armoured fighting vehicles and one was travelling in an unarmoured military ambulance. Ten servicemen were also killed by hostile action while flying in a military C-130 aircraft.

A further six personnel have been killed in Iraq during incidents where vehicles were present. Records do not allow us to confirm if they were in the vehicles at the time of injury. Centrally available records do not allow us to give a figure for the number of British servicemen injured from hostile action whilst in vehicles. Two British servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action whilst in vehicles since operations began in 2001. Both were in unarmoured Land Rovers.

Between 1 January 2006 and 6 July 2006, three British servicemen have been injured as a result of hostile action whilst in vehicles in Afghanistan. A further three have been killed and five wounded during incidents where troops were involved in patrols equipped with armoured Land Rovers in Afghanistan. Centrally available records do not allow us to confirm if they were in the vehicles at the time of injury.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the relative protection afforded from improvised explosive devices by the Tempest Truck, Mine Protected Vehicle and the Force Protection Inc. Cougar joint explosive ordnance disposal rapid response vehicles employed by the US Marine Corps in Iraq. [82530]

Mr. Ingram: The in service Mine Protected Vehicle, which was originally known as Tempest although that name is no longer used, is based on an early version of the Force Protection Inc. Cougar vehicle. There are many variants of the Cougar and different nations modify them to meet their own specifications and roles. We do not comment on the relative protection as to do so would prejudice safety of allies.

Ministerial Office

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87652]

Mr. Watson: In 2001 the Ministry of Defence head office moved from the main building to temporary offices allowing for the main building PFI redevelopment project to provide a new modern working environment appropriate to the future business need of the Department. Some redecoration of the temporary accommodation was undertaken to prepare it, including for Minister's
24 July 2006 : Column 777W
offices. In 2004 the Ministry of Defence head office returned to the main building. There has been no redecoration of ministerial offices since this date.

Missiles

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects plans for ballistic missile defence for NATO allies to be approved. [86670]

Des Browne: The NATO Missile Defence Feasibility Study was noted by the North Atlantic Council in June 2006. NATO will continue to examine the options for, and implications of, the possible acquisition of territorial Ballistic Missile Defence, but it has made no plans for such acquisition nor set a timetable for a decision.

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what feasibility studies his Department has carried out on possible sites for ground based interceptors in relation to possible UK involvement in a missile defence shield. [86671]

Des Browne: None.

Mobile Phones (RAF Stations)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules apply to the use of mobile telephones and camera telephones on RAF stations; and what the reasons are for such rules. [85308]

Mr. Watson: The use of mobile and camera telephones is governed by defence-wide security policy. A balance has to be drawn between the need to protect the Ministry of Defence information and assets and allowing the greatest possible freedom for the individual. Each RAF Station will have its own specific rules that apply to the use of mobile telephones and camera telephones. These requirements are published to staff and briefed to visitors on arrival.

This policy is intended to minimise the potential for compromise of protectively marked information and assets and is reviewed regularly to take account of changing threats and developments in technology.

Modernising Personnel Administration

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 3WS, on modernising armed forces and veterans personnel administration, what budget has been set aside to carry out the proposed changes. [87093]

Mr. Watson: The bringing together of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and the Veterans Agency will incur modest costs, primarily in senior management time and in any re-badging of the new agency. These costs will be met by existing budgets within the individual agencies and are not significant enough to require a separate budget to be set aside. Any subsequent proposals for investment to improve service quality would be assessed case by case.


24 July 2006 : Column 778W

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 3WS, on modernising armed forces and veterans personnel administration, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) study and (b) consultation document. [87094]

Mr. Watson: Yes. I will place the information requested in the Library of the House.

Nell McAndrew

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 12 July 2006, Official Report, column 1884W, on welfare services, whether Nell McAndrew will be remunerated for her work on the confidential support line campaign with the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association. [87172]

Mr. Watson: That is a matter between the Association and Nell McAndrew. We remain greatly appreciative of the support she gives to our armed forces.

Nuclear Liabilities

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a disaggregation by function and location of the £9,753,827,000 undiscounted costs of nuclear liabilities, set out at page 220 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, HC1394, for which his Department is responsible; and if he will publish the advice provided to his Department by NIREX to which the Report makes reference. [86925]

Des Browne: A disaggregation by function and location of the £9,753,827,000 undiscounted costs of nuclear liabilities, stated in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, is as follows:

    £3,394,744,000—Costs associated with decommissioning, care and maintenance of redundant facilities (the conditioning, retrieval and storage of contaminated materials); research and development; and the procurement of capital facilities to handle the various waste streams.

    Location: AWE Sites, Berkshire.

    £2,132,782,000—Decontamination and decommissioning of Naval Test Reactor and waste disposal.

    Location: Dounreay.

    £1,052,580,000—Costs associated with the research, development and construction of the NIREX Deep Waste Repository.

    Location: Not yet known.

    £934,659,000—Storage of nuclear materials.

    Locations: Springfields, Capenhurst and Sellafield.

    £909,892,000—Nuclear Propulsion decontamination and decommissioning liabilities at various sites which conduct nuclear submarine decommissioning work on behalf of MOD.

    Locations: Sellafield, Derby and mobile support equipment.

    £504,144,000—Berthing and decommissioning of out of service submarines.

    Locations: Rosyth and Devonport.

    £332,835,000—Decommissioning of current in-service submarines.


24 July 2006 : Column 779W

    Location: Rosyth and Devonport.

    £177,259,000—Sundry provisions, the bulk of which is in respect of costs of storage of low level waste.

    Location: Sellafield.

    £146,401,000—Dismantlement of Warheads.

    Location: AWE Sites, Berkshire.

    £119,168,000—Decommissioning of nuclear submarine refit and refuelling facilities.

    Location: Devonport Dockyard.

    £32,299,000—Nuclear Decommissioning and Decontamination of Rosyth Dockyard on completion of the final Nuclear Submarine Project contract.

    Location: Rosyth.

    £10,627,000—Decommissioning and disposal of the Neptune Test Reactor.

    Location: Derby.

    £4,030,000—Disposal of Support Equipment which contains depleted uranium.

    Location: Rosyth and Devonport.

    £2,207,000—Decommissioning of a facility that processes radiological submarine effluent at HM Naval Base Clyde which is being superseded by a new Radiological Processing Facility.

    Location: HM Naval Base Clyde.

    £200,000—Decontamination related to low-level and small quantities of nuclear materials used in educational laboratories at the Defence Academy.

    Location: Shrivenham.

The information provided by NIREX for the Department's Annual Report and Accounts is commercially sensitive. Its publication is a matter for NIREX.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 64 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, HC 1394, which international legal obligations would have to be met by the United Kingdom if it was decided to use its nuclear weapons. [86930]

Des Browne: The UK would consider using nuclear weapons only in extreme circumstances of self-defence and in accordance with our international legal obligations, including those relating to the conduct of armed conflict.

Nuclear Test Veterans

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of awarding war pensions to all nuclear test veterans suffering from radiation linked disease. [86069]

Mr. Watson: All nuclear test veterans are eligible to claim, under the terms of the war pension scheme, for any disablement causally linked to service rather than for specific conditions or diseases. A war pension is also paid whenever the claimant can raise reasonable doubt, by providing reliable evidence, that the claimed disablement is causally linked to service. The War Pensions Scheme considers disablement from radiation linked disease, to include such conditions as certain
24 July 2006 : Column 780W
thyroid and parathyroid diseases, cataracts and malignant disease and cancer. Cancers due to ionising radiation are clinically indistinguishable from those due to any other cause which are common in a population increasing with age. Based on the findings of National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) reports it is war pensions policy that entitlement is given to any type of leukaemia, other than chronic lymphatic with onset, within 25 years of participation at a nuclear test.

Therefore no estimate has been made of the cost of awarding war pensions to all veterans who might be suffering from a radiation linked disease that has arisen some time after service in nuclear test areas as it might not be linked to that service The value of a disablement award is determined by the assessed level of all service related disablement, which can be re-assessed if there is subsequent deterioration.

Nuclear Waste

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the inventory of nuclear waste created from all the nuclear weapons programmes in the UK, including the submarine fleet; when the inventory was last updated; and what his plans are for updating the inventory. [87384]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory, published periodically by NIREX and DEFRA, contains details of nuclear waste arising from the Defence programme. An electronic copy of the most recent inventory was published on 19 January 2006 and is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has a list of radioactive materials that are not included in the inventory of nuclear waste from nuclear weapons programmes. [87385]

Mr. Ingram: All radioactive materials employed in, or arising from, the nuclear weapons programme are either recorded in the United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory or accounted for separately in accordance with statutory requirements.

Pathfinder Programme

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on (a) the launch of the Pathfinder programme teams and (b) scoping of Pathfinder programmes on through-life capability management. [86658]

Mr. Ingram: The two Pathfinder programmes—Sustained Surface Combatant Capability and Sustained Armoured Vehicle Capability—bring together representatives from the Ministry of Defence and industry to pilot new approaches to acquisition on a through-life capability basis. Team members were identified in consultation with industry. Both teams are established and are making good progress. A Pathfinder ‘Industry Day’ is being held on 28 July.


24 July 2006 : Column 781W

Private Land (Military Use)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many privately owned pieces of land are used by the RAF around Ledbury, Herefordshire. [85229]

Mr. Watson: No privately-owned pieces of land have been used by the RAF around Ledbury, Herefordshire.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what private land was used for close air support operations and forward air control exercises in the last three years; in what counties the land used was located; and whether rent was paid for the use of the land. [85234]

Mr. Watson: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid to land owners in Herefordshire for the use of their property for RAF exercises in each of the last three years. [85238]

Mr. Watson: No money has been paid to land owners in Herefordshire for use of their property in RAF exercises in the last three years.

Reserve Forces

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the studies of the demobilisation surveys for reserve forces completing operational engagements for the last five years. [85487]


24 July 2006 : Column 782W

Mr. Watson: We are considering whether the documents can be released in full or in part. This will require scrutiny of a considerable amount of information contained within five main reports and three follow-up reports. Once this process is complete, I will write to the hon. Member and, if appropriate, place copies of the report in the Library of the House.

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the studies of terminal surveys for members of reserve forces leaving the reserve forces for the last five years. [85488]

Mr. Watson: The armed forces do not currently carry out terminal surveys for members of the reserve forces. But we do conduct a larger number of focused surveys on reserves; for example a continuous attitude survey on the TA and a copy of this survey of Annex is in the Library of the House.

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manning totals were (a) in 2005-06 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available of (i) men and (ii) women for (A) officers and (B) other ranks in each of the reserve forces, breaking down (1) the Territorial Army by area and corps and (2) (x) the Royal Navy Reserve and (y) the Royal Auxiliary Air Force by functional category. [85503]

Mr. Watson [holding answer14 July 2006]: Available information on the number of male and female officers and other ranks in the Territorial Army and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force is given in the following tables:


24 July 2006 : Column 783W

24 July 2006 : Column 784W
Territorial Army personnel( 1) as at 1 April 2005
Number
Male Officers female Total Male Other ranks female Total

All Arm/Corps

4,210

1,340

5,550

25,250

5,380

30,630

Staff

80

10

90

Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps

210

220

930

70

1,000

Royal Artillery

290

30

320

1,670

220

1,880

Royal Engineers

310

30

340

1,800

230

2,030

Royal Signals

370

100

470

2,700

690

3,380

Infantry

770

10

780

5,940

240

6,180

Army Air Corps

50

50

60

60

Royal Army Chaplain’s Dept

60

60

Royal Logistic Corps

440

60

500

4,610

780

5,400

Royal Army Medical Corps

550

190

740

1,240

890

2,130

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

140

20

160

1,940

140

2,090

Adjutant General Corps (Provost)

40

10

50

220

50

270

Adjutant General Corps (Staff and Personnel Support)

90

40

130

360

420

790

Adjutant General Corps (Education Training Services)

20

20

Adjutant General Corps (Army Legal Services)

10

10

Royal Army Dental Corps

30

10

40

10

20

Royal Army Veterinary Corps

10

10

Intelligence Corps

80

30

100

320

70

390

Army Physical Training Corps

General List

10

10

Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps

350

720

1,080

20

40

60

Unallocated

10

10

180

190

Officer Training Corps

3,230

1,530

4,760

Small Arms School Corps

General Service Corps

280

70

350

(1) Figures include Mobilised TA personnel and University Officer Training Corps but exclude Non Regular Permanent Staff and Full Time Reserve Service personnel. Source: DASA (Army)

Territorial Army personnel( 1) as at 1 April 2006
Number
Male Officers female Total Male Other ranks female Total

All Arm/Corps

4,120

1,270

5,400

26,260

5,740

32,000

Staff

80

10

90

Household Cavalry/ Royal Armoured Corps

210

220

960

80

1,040

Royal Artillery

290

30

320

1,710

250

1,960

Royal Engineers

300

40

340

1,890

250

2,140

Royal Signals

380

100

480

2,770

760

3,530

Infantry

750

10

760

6,520

230

6,760

Army Air Corps

40

50

60

60

Royal Army Chaplain’s Dept

60

60

Royal Logistic Corps

420

60

480

4,680

840

5,520

Royal Army Medical Corps

540

190

720

1,210

840

2,050

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

140

20

160

1,960

160

2,120

Adjutant General Corps (Provost)

30

10

40

200

40

240

Adjutant General Corps (Staff and Personnel Support)

110

30

140

340

450

800

Adjutant General Corps (Education Training Services)

20

20

Adjutant General Corps (Army Legal Services)

10

10

Royal Army Dental Corps

20

10

30

10

20

30

Royal Army Veterinary Corps

10

10

10

Intelligence Corps

80

20

100

330

70

400

Army Physical Training Corps

General List

10

10

Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps

330

670

1,000

20

30

50

Unallocated

60

60

Officer Training Corps

3,550

1,690

5,240

Small Arms School Corps

10

10

General Service Corps

270

60

330

(1) Figures include Mobilised TA personnel and University Officer Training Corps but exclude Non Regular Permanent Staff and Full Time Reserve Service personnel. Source: DASA (Army)

Royal Auxiliary Air Force strength by gender
Number
1 April 2005 1 April 2006

Officers

290

280

Male

230

230

Female

60

50

Other Ranks

1,190

1,180

Male

980

990

Female

200

180

Source: DASA (Air)

24 July 2006 : Column 785W

24 July 2006 : Column 786W

Royal Auxiliary Air Force officers
Number
1 April 2005 1 April 2006

All branches

290

280

GD

10

10

Flying Squadron Leader

Junior Officer Pilots

20

30

Junior Officer Weapons System Operator

10

10

Junior Officer Rear crew

Flying total

40

40

Operations Support (Air Traffic Control)

Operations Support (Fighter Control)

Operations Support (Intelligence)

80

80

Operations Support (Regiment)

20

20

Operations Support (Flight Operations)

30

30

Operations Support (Provost and Security)

Ops spt total

140

140

Engineer

Supply

10

10

Administration (Secretarial)

40

40

Administration (Catering)

Administration (Physical Education)

Administration (Training)

Medical

20

20

Medical Support

Dental

Chaplains

Legal

Music

Princess Mary Royal Air Force Nursing Service

20

10

Ground total

100

90

Source: DASA (Air)


24 July 2006 : Column 787W

24 July 2006 : Column 788W

24 July 2006 : Column 789W

24 July 2006 : Column 790W
Royal Auxiliary Air Force other ranks
Number
1 April 2005 1 April 2006

All trades

1,190

1,180

Ground trades

1,170

1,160

Engineering Technician Airframe

Engineering Technician Propulsion

Engineering Technician Weapon

Airframe Technician (Mechanical)

Airframe Technician (Avionics)

Engineering Technician (Avionics)

Engineering Technician (Aircraft Electrical)

Communication and Information Systems

Engineering Technician Electronics

Telecommunications Controller/Telecommunications Operator

20

20

Communication and Information Systems Aerial Erector

General Technician Electrical

10

10

General Technician Ground Support Equipment

10

10

General Technician Workshops

General Technician (Mechanical)

Mechanical Transport Driver

40

30

Mechanical Transport Technician/Mechanic

10

10

Royal Air Force Police

40

30

Gunner

480

500

Firefighter

Air Traffic Control

100

80

Meteorological Non Commissioned Officer

Royal Air Force Administration

Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructor

Intelligence Systems Analyst (Communications)

Intelligence Systems Analyst (Voice)

Aerospace Manager Operator/Senior Non Commissioned Officer Fighter Controller

Survival Equipment Fitter

10

Painter and Finisher

Photographer

Intelligence Analyst (Imagery)

50

40

Air Cartographer

Staff Nurse (Registered Mental Nurse)

Pharmacy Technician

Environmental Health Technician

Operating Theatre Technician

Radiographer

Laboratory Technician

Medical Administrator

30

30

Medical Assistant

40

40

Staff Nurse (Registered General Nurse)

40

40

Dental Nurse

Dental Hygienist

Dental Administrator/Nurse

Personnel Administrator

60

60

Data/Statistical Analyst

Supplier

60

70

Movements Controller/Operator

160

160

Chef

20

20

Catering Accountant

Mess Manager/Steward

Musician

Non commissioned aircrew

20

20

Weapons System Operator (Air Electronics)

Weapons System Operator (Linguist)

Weapons System Operator (Air Engineers)

Weapons System Operator (Air Load Master)

10

‘—’ denotes zero or rounded to zero. Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to the rounding methods used, figures may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Source: DASA (Air)

Reliable information on Royal Navy Reserve functional categories is not held centrally and can be collated only at disproportionate cost. A breakdown by units is shown as follows.

Royal Navy Reserves as at 31 March 2005
Number
Male Officers female Total Male Other ranks female Total

All units

760

230

1,000

1,160

440

1,600

HMS Calliope

40

10

40

70

20

100

HMS Cambria

30

10

40

60

20

80

HMS Caroline

20

10

30

50

30

70

HMS Dalriada

20

10

30

50

30

80

HMS Eaglet

50

20

80

120

40

160

HMS Ferret

50

20

60

HMS Flying Fox

20

10

30

60

20

80

HMS Forward

30

30

80

30

110

HMS King Alfred

80

20

100

80

50

130

HMS President

100

30

120

110

50

160

HMS Scotia

40

10

50

90

30

120

HMS Sherwood

30

10

40

70

30

100

HMS Vivid

30

20

50

90

40

130

HMS Wildfire

30

20

40

30

30

70

Air Branch

160

10

170

190

20

200

Mine Warfare Clearance Diver

10

10

Media Relations

30

40

70

Source: RNR database

Royal Navy Reserves as at 31 March 2006
Number
Male Officers female Total Male Other ranks female Total

All units

770

210

980

1,050

360

1,410

HMS Calliope

30

10

40

70

20

80

HMS Cambria

30

10

30

40

20

60

HMS Caroline

20

10

20

50

20

70

HMS Dalriada

20

10

30

50

20

70

HMS Eaglet

50

20

70

100

30

140

HMS Ferret

50

10

60

HMS Flying Fox

30

30

50

20

60

HMS Forward

30

30

60

20

80

HMS King Alfred

90

20

100

70

40

110

HMS President

100

30

120

110

40

160

HMS Scotia

40

10

40

80

30

110

HMS Sherwood

40

40

60

30

90

HMS Vivid

30

20

50

80

30

120

HMS Wildfire

30

20

50

30

20

50

Air Branch

160

10

170

180

20

200

Mine Warfare Clearance Diver

20

20

Media Relations

40

30

70

Source: RNR database

24 July 2006 : Column 791W

Reservists

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to compensate and support small and medium-sized enterprises with key members of staff serving as called up reservists fulfilling long-term postings; and if he will make a statement. [87914]

Mr. Watson: The Reserve Forces Act 1996 allows payments to Reservists and/or their employers when the former are called out into permanent service. The detailed regulations are set out in a Statutory Instrument (SI 859), which came into force in April 2005.

Under these regulations employers can claim up to £110 per day (approximately £40,000 per year) to cover certain additional costs arising from their employee’s absence. Employers may also claim certain one-off costs such as agency fees and re-training costs.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have been cannibalised in the past 12 months. [86998]

Mr. Ingram: Over the past 12 months, eight ships of the RFA have had items of equipment removed for installation in other ships. This process is normally used to meet high priority operational commitments and where the items in demand are not readily available from normal sources. Equipment is then refitted to donor ships when it becomes available.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary can be deployed. [86999]

Mr. Ingram: All RFA ships currently in service are deployable within the timescales set down in the current Fleet Readiness Profile.

Separated Service

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of separated service days was in the last recorded 30 day month rolling period for the Regular army (a) infantry, (b) Royal Artillery, (c) Royal Engineers, (d) Royal Corps of Signals, (e) Royal Armoured Corps, (f) Household Cavalry, (g) Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers and (h) Army Medical Services. [87022]

Mr. Watson: The information is listed in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 792W
Average number of days spent on separated service by Arm/Service over 30 months using figures recorded at 1 January 2006
Arm/Service Number

Infantry

270

Royal Artillery

230

Royal Engineers

245

Royal Signals

175

Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps

270

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

320

Army Medical Services

165

Notes: 1. Army Medical Services include the Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Dental Corps, Royal Army Veterinary Corps and the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. 2. Figures are based on personnel on separated service, at any time from 1 July 2003 to 31 December 2005 inclusive. 3. Figures are for United Kingdom trained army personnel only and therefore exclude full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, The Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and Mobilised Reservists.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest number of days of separated service over the last three-year period for which figures are available was for each of the Royal Navy pinch point trades identified in his Department's annual report and accounts 2005-06. [87034]

Mr. Ingram: For the pinch points in question, separated service has only been centrally recorded since April 2004. Data is available up to the end of March 2006. The average, highest and lowest number of days of separated service recorded over this period are:

Pinch point Recorded separated service
Average Highest Lowest

Air Engineering Technicians (including Mechanics and Artificers)

70

505

0

Mine Warfare Petty Officer

165

325

0

Warfare Leading Hand

185

525

0

Nuclear Marine Engineering Watchkeepers

110

380

0

Royal Marine Other Ranks—general duties

115

460

0

Notes: 1. Figures are given for those serving on the trained strength at 1 April 2006. 2. For Nuclear Watchkeepers, the population has been taken as Marine Engineering Artificers at Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer and Warrant Officer 2. 3. The Navy is currently restructuring the Air Engineering branch from the current Artificer/Mechanic career streams to a single Technician stream. For this reason, combined figures are given for these career streams. 4. Royal Marines figures exclude the band service. 5. The Navy harmony guideline for separated service is a maximum of 660 days over a 36 month period. 6. Although days spent on hospitalisation, annual leave and adventurous training are recorded by the separated service system, they do not count towards the 660 days target and are not included in the above figures.

Spare Parts

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many spare parts were (a) available and (b) required for Army Air Corps (i) Apache, (ii) Lynx and (iii) Gazelle helicopter fleets in the past 12 months. [87000]

Mr. Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many spare parts were (a) available and (b) required for the Royal Navy (i) destroyer, (ii) frigate, (iii) mine counter vessel, (iv) patrol vessel, (v) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel and (vi) submarine fleet in the past 12 months. [87001]


24 July 2006 : Column 793W

Mr. Ingram: Naval spares support is managed on a whole Fleet basis, not by class of vessel. Customers include ships, shore establishments and other services. Stock levels are set to optimise support to all customers and performance is recorded on a monthly basis. As a result, the information is not available in the format requested. Each ship has an on board allowance of spares designed to support self-sustainability for 90 days.

Special Advisers

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of his Department. [80648]

Mr. Watson: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the code of conduct for special advisers.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85184]

Mr. Watson: The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments has reported two statutory instruments sponsored by the Ministry of Defence for defective drafting since October 2005.

Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Submarine Flotilla

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made on the establishment of a unified submarine programme management organisation within the Department; and if he will make a statement. [86665]

Des Browne: Since April 2006 submarine programme management within MOD has been unified under Director General Nuclear, who is responsible for managing delivery of the submarine programme from concept to disposal. Recent efforts have concentrated on the development of processes to support governance of the new organisation.

Sustainability Principles

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the sustainability principles set out at paragraph 77 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, HC 1394, are applied by British forces deployed in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq. [86931]

Des Browne: British armed forces deployed overseas apply United Kingdom policies and standards on sustainable development where reasonably practicable. In addition, we comply with relevant host nations' standards.


24 July 2006 : Column 794W

Swan Hunter

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to announce the final payment to Swan Hunter following the termination of the contract for the Landings Ship Dock (Auxiliary) with that shipyard. [87049]

Mr. Ingram: Final payment to Swan Hunter will be made once all of the obligations of the settlement agreed with the company have been met.

Tavern Armoured Vehicles

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tavern armoured vehicles are owned by the Ministry of Defence; and how many such vehicles are located in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Iraq, (c) Afghanistan and (d) the UK. [87041]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence currently has 96 Tavern vehicles located in Northern Ireland and eight in UK. None is deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Territorial Army (Records)

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1442W, on Territorial Army (Records), (1) what the reason is for the time taken to reply to the question; [85119]

(2) for what reason information on units to which individuals are mobilised does not include subsequent mobilisation after the initial posting. [85121]

Mr. Watson: The Reserve Training and Mobilisation Centre has no authority over the posting process and therefore will not routinely know if an individual is subsequently posted to a different unit. This is the responsibility of the Integrated Mobilisation Cell who decide where members of the Territorial Army are to be posted, and the Army Personnel Centre who issue the posting order and update the individual's Record of Service.

I regret the delay in providing the answer of 10 July which was due to an administrative oversight. New procedures for recording and tracking parliamentary questions will prevent this in future.

Tour Intervals

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the average tour interval of the (a) Corps of Royal Engineers, (b) Royal Corps of Signals, (c) Royal Logistic Corps and (d) Royal Electric and Mechanical Engineers has been over the last five years; [57473]

(2) how many tours each battalion of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers has undertaken in the last five years; what the (a) location and (b) length was of each; and what the length of time was between each deployment; [57475]


24 July 2006 : Column 795W

(3) how many regiments of the (a) Corps of Royal Engineers, (b) Royal Corps of Signals, (c) Royal Logistic Corps and (d) Royal Electric and Mechanical Engineers have achieved the harmony guideline of 24 months over the last five years. [57479]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1283W, for the information relating to the Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals and Royal Logistic Corps.


24 July 2006 : Column 796W

The location of deployments undertaken by elements of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) over the past five years can be found in the following table. Such deployments are normally conducted at sub-unit level and below, and vary in duration and composition of personnel involved, some involving a number of short visits to theatre. Information on the length of time between each element's deployment and the average tour interval that this would imply at Regimental level is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Regiment 1 February to 31 December 2001 1 January to 31 December 2002 1 January to 31 December 2003

1 Battalion REME

The Balkans

Iraq and the Balkans (company)

2 Battalion REME

Iraq The Balkans (company)(1)

3 Battalion REME

The Balkans(1)

The Balkans(1)

Iraq

4 Battalion REME

The Balkans

The Balkans (company)(1)

The Balkans (company)(1)

5 Battalion REME

Iraq (company)(1)

6 Battalion REME

The Balkans

7 Air Assualt Battalion REME

Iraq


Regiment 1 January to 31 December 2004 1 January to 31 December 2005 31 December 2005 to 1 July 2006

1 Battalion REME

The Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq(1)

The Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq(1)

2 Battalion REME

The Balkans (company)(1)

Afghanistan(1)

Afghanistan(1)

3 Battalion REME

The Balkans (company)

Iraq

4 Battalion REME

The Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq

5 Battalion REME

Iraq (company)(1)

6 Battalion REME

Iraq (company)

7 Air Assualt Battalion REME

Afghanistan

(1) Indicates the same tour

Trained Strength

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) actual gains to trained strength and (b) total target gains to trained strength are for each of the Royal Navy pinch point trades identified in his Department’s annual report and accounts 2005-06; [87037]

(2) what the (a) total actual gains to trained strength and (b) total target gains to trained strength are for the Regular Army (i) infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Engineers, (iv) Royal Corps of Signals, (v) Royal Armoured Corps, (vi) Household Cavalry, (vii) Royal Electrical Mechancial Engineers and (viii) Army Medical Services; [87038]

(3) what the (a) total actual gains to trained strength and (b) total target gains to trained strength are for each of the Royal Air Force pinch point trades identified in his Department’s annual report and accounts 2005-06. [87039]

Mr. Watson: It will take a few weeks to validate the requested information to ensure accuracy and consistency. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House when this is completed.

Trident Replacement

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure there has been on preparatory (a) studies and (b) infrastructure development on a replacement for the Trident nuclear system. [86947]

Des Browne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 350W, to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws).

US Missile Defence Agency

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget is for the UK Missile Defence Centre for each of the next three years. [86668]

Des Browne: The UK Missile Defence Centre was founded on 18 July 2003 with a six-year mandate. It has just begun its fourth year with an approved budget of £5.7 million, the provisional budget allocation for each of the final two years is £5 million.

Weapons Policy

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances weapons are provided to (a) UK and (b) other civilians in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [85301]

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence does not provide weapons to its civilian employees deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.


24 July 2006 : Column 797W

Solicitor-General

Environment and Heritage Service

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 12W, on the Environment and Heritage Service, what steps he takes to ensure cost-effectiveness of court cases brought on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service. [87339]

The Solicitor-General: The Public Prosecution Service conducts all cases it prosecutes, including those on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service, in accordance with the Test for Prosecution. That test is whether there is sufficient available evidence to afford a reasonable prospect of conviction and, if so, whether it is in the public interest to prosecute. If the evidential aspect of the test is met, there is a strong presumption that prosecution is in the public interest; the more serious the offence, or its consequences, the stronger the presumption. The cost of bringing a prosecution does not weigh in that consideration. The PPS may take into account, in assessing the public interest, of whether the offence is of such a nature that it is likely that the court will impose only a very small or nominal penalty.

The cost-effectiveness of prosecutions is based on the overall efficiency of the PPS. It is not connected in any way with the fines imposed following conviction. Such fines are not payable to the PPS. Following conviction, the PPS will usually ask for its costs to be paid by the defendant but whether such an order is made, and to what extent, is a matter for judicial determination.

The cost effectiveness of the PPS and what is being done to maintain and improve efficiency is the subject of the PPS annual report and business plan, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Offences (Prosecution Consent)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will list the offences which may be prosecuted only with the consent of (a) the Solicitor-General and (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions. [87111]

The Solicitor-General: By statute, certain offences require the consent of the Attorney-General or the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in order for there to be a prosecution. The Law Officers Act 1997, section 1, provides that any function of the Attorney-General (which includes therefore the granting of consent to prosecute) may be exercised by the Solicitor-General.

It would involve disproportionate resources to produce a complete list of the many offences requiring Attorney-General’s and DPP’s consent to prosecute. A list of most of such offences is reproduced at appendix A of the Law Commission’s 1998 report, “Consents to Prosecution”.

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [84008]


24 July 2006 : Column 798W

The Solicitor-General: Since June 2006 I have made six visits to the regions. These consisted of three visits to the South East, two visits to the North West and one visit to Yorkshire and the Humber. In addition I have made two visits to Northern Ireland.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85194]

The Solicitor-General: At the time that this question was asked there were 18 parliamentary questions awaiting an answer. There were two that had been waiting for two weeks and four that had been waiting for three weeks for a substantive answer. All six of these questions have now been answered.

The Attorney-General’s office endeavours to provide a substantive answer on time, although there are occasions when some parliamentary questions can take slightly longer than others to draft because of the nature of the information required.

Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many public appointments are within the patronage of the Law Officers; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83171]

The Solicitor-General: None.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85176]

The Solicitor-General: None.

Minister for Women

Homophobic Bullying

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans the Government have to tackle homophobic bullying in (a) schools and (b) the community. [88193]

Meg Munn: The Government plan to introduce regulations later this year under part 3 of the Equality Act 2006 to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education and public functions. These measures will empower individuals to challenge unacceptable prejudice in their every day lives and will reinforce and support the work already being done in many communities by police forces and other bodies to confront and tackle homophobic bullying.


24 July 2006 : Column 799W

The regulations will be promoted to raise awareness of people's new rights and responsibilities under the regulations and will be accompanied by detailed guidance for service providers. The new Commission for Equality and Human Rights will play an important role in promoting and supporting the regulations when it opens its doors in October 2007.

We take the issue of homophobic bullying in schools very seriously and the Government gave an undertaking in the White Paper, “Higher Standards, Better Education for All”, published last year to issue guidance on bullying motivated by prejudice, including homophobia, providing school staff with valuable support in an area they often find challenging. The Department for Education and Skills is currently developing a programme to tackle homophobic bullying and has accepted a tender from Stonewall for the provision of guidance on homophobic bullying. The Department expects to issue that guidance early in 2007, and to follow this with a series of dissemination workshops.

House of Commons Commission

House Facilities

Mr. Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will review the rules governing the use by hon. Members of House (a) accommodation, (b) telephones and (c) stationery with a view to tightening
24 July 2006 : Column 800W
the restrictions on their use for party political purposes. [86108]

Nick Harvey: Facilities provided for individualhon. Members under the House of Commons: administration estimate, for which the Commission is responsible, are intended for use in connection with their parliamentary and public business. The rules governing their use are kept under review by the House authorities in the light of circumstances, and also in the event of specific complaints alleging abuse. Failure to observe the rules on the use of parliamentary facilities may be a breach of the code of conduct.

Senior Staff Appointments

Mr. Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, columns 8-9W, on senior staff appointments, if the Commission will take steps to ensure that in futurethe appointments to the three senior posts are made by the House. [87139]

Nick Harvey: These appointments are made by the Crown. Changes would be necessary in legislation for the appointments to be made by the House. The Commission has no plans to seek such changes.

[Continued in Col. 801W]


24 July 2006 : Column 801W

Written Answers to Questions

Monday 24 July 2006

[Continued from column 800W]

Communities and Local Government

Arm's Length Management

Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to measure the impact of arm's length management organisations on tenant satisfaction. [83373]

Yvette Cooper: Tenant satisfaction is one of the best value performance indicators used to measure
24 July 2006 : Column 802W
performance by local authorities. To date there is only data available to cover the first two years of operation for the first eight ALMOs. As soon as sufficient data is available we will be able to assess the impact of ALMOs on tenant satisfaction more generally.

City of York Council

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much in (a) rate support grants, (b) business rates and (c) special grants the Government paid to City of York council in each year since its creation as a unitary authority (i) in cash terms and (ii) at current prices; how much will be paid in each category in 2006-07; and what the purpose was of each special grant of £50,000 or more. [86526]

Mr. Woolas: The following table shows the amount of revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and specific and special grants allocated to the City of York council in the period 1996-97 to 2006-07.

£ million
Revenue Support Grant Redistributed Business Rates Specific and Special Grants within Aggregate External Finance (AEF)
Cash terms Current prices Cash terms Current prices Cash terms Current prices

1996-97

36.598

46.663

41.981

53.526

3.305

4.214

1997-98

38.597

47.821

39.451

48.879

3.128

3.876

1998-99

39.274

47.454

41.267

49.862

4.113

4.970

1999-00

39.478

46.754

44.995

53.288

6.185

7.325

2000-01

36.901

43.096

51.078

59.654

10.977

12.820

2001-02

40.309

45.985

50.021

57.065

15.044

17.162

2002-03

35.89

39.715

55.16

61.039

21.172

23.429

2003-04

45.361

48.747

54.927

59.027

31.192

33.520

2004-05

51.761

54.149

50.943

53.293

31.743

33.208

2005-06

47.84

49.009

61.026

62.517

31.318

32.083

2006-07

6.011

6.011

31.140

31.140

106.983

106.983


Please note that these amounts are not comparable year-on-year due to changes in funding and function. For example, in 2006-07 support for school funding moved from formula grant (i.e. revenue support grant plus business rates) to the dedicated schools grant.

The current prices have been calculated using the GDP deflator as the measure of inflation.

The Department for Communities and Local Government do not routinely collect data on all individual special grants from other Government Departments. The purpose of the special grants is a matter for the department that provides them.

Specific grants within aggregate external finance are those revenue grants paid for councils’ core services (such as schools funding), excluding funding for local authorities’ housing management.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be appointed; and if she will make a statement. [86742]

Meg Munn [holding answer 20 July 2006]: I anticipate that the chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be appointed during the summer period.

Consultancies

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1538-42W, on consultancies, if she will place in the Library a copy of document 5, the MORI Survey of Government Office for the South East partners. [86910]

Angela E. Smith: The requested document will be made available in the Libraries of the House.

Contaminated Land

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what arethe principal purposes of the Contaminated Land: Application in Real Environments scheme; how much public funding the scheme will receive in 2006-07; when its current grant expires; and by what process future public funding levels will be determined; [86426]


24 July 2006 : Column 803W

(2) what is the commercial remit of the Contaminated Land: Application in Real Environments programme; and what its principal commercial activities are. [86427]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

Contaminated Land: Application in Real Environments (CL:AIRE) is an independent registered charity, which organises and independently reviews demonstration projects on the remediation of contaminated land and disseminates the results in line with its charitable objectives. Details are provided in CL:AIRE’s annual accounts.

CL:AIRE’s board includes representatives from the private and public sectors. Some £465,000 of public funds from several sources has been agreed for this financial year, including £80,000 per year from DEFRA for this year and the next two years. Public funding is mainly for specific remedial projects, and also for dissemination of information and other activities. Funding organisations establish their individual requirements in discussions and formal arrangements with CL:AIRE, which has been encouraged to diversify its sources of income.

Council Tax

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the Greater London population paid council tax in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage qualified for discounts. [87115]

Mr. Woolas: The number of chargeable dwellings liable for council tax in Greater London as at November 2005 was 3,108,000 of which 1,281,000 dwellings (41.2 per cent.) were entitled to a discount.

The number of chargeable dwellings and those entitled to a discount are taken from the CTB1 forms submitted to this Department by all 33 London billing authorities including the City of London.

The number of individuals liable for council tax cannot be accurately determined from these or other sources.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax was raised in the last year for which figures are available. [87156]

Mr. Woolas: The council tax received by local authorities in England in 2005-06 was £18,419 million. This figure excludes amounts funded by council tax benefit and includes both arrears received for previous years and prepayment of council tax for subsequent years.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of administering the council tax system in the latest year for which figures are available. [87158]

Mr. Woolas: Net current expenditure on administering the council tax system for 2004-05 by local authorities in England is tabled as follows.


24 July 2006 : Column 804W
£ million

Council tax collection

340.9

Council tax benefits administration

277.5

Total

618.4


The data are as reported by local authorities and are taken from Revenue Outturn (RO) returns for 2004-05.

Net current expenditure is defined as gross expenditure on employees and running expenses, less income from sales, fees and charges, and ‘other income’.

The council tax collection figures also include any costs relating to collection of arrears of pre-1990 domestic rates and community charges.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library copies of the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax people’s panel reports and summaries from the last 24 months. [87348]

Mr. Woolas: The results from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax people’s panels, for the now postponed council tax revaluation in England, are for input to the formulation and development of Government policy and it is not therefore appropriate to place these in the public domain.

E-Government

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have for (a) a single property account and (b) a single citizen account as part of its e-government and Government Connects programme. [88058]

Mr. Woolas: The Government recognise the strategic importance of (a) a single property account and issued an outline prospectus entitled “Towards the National Spatial Addressing Infrastructure” for public consultation in May last year, containing technical details and governance structures. Discussions with stakeholders regarding this initiative are currently ongoing.

The Government Connect Programme will provide local government with a single secure approach to registering and authenticating users of online services. This will include checking identity details through data matching and data sharing processes to enable joined-up or shared service provision.

In relation to (b) a single citizen account, a core element of the Government Connect programme is the ability to offer a ‘single sign-on’ to citizens, i.e. once a citizen has registered and authenticated themselves online, all subsequent transactions will use this authentication, which means that citizens will no longer be asked for the same information again and again as they use different services from different providers.


24 July 2006 : Column 805W

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding was provided to local authorities for Implementing Electronic Government in each year since its introduction; and how much has been allocated for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [88070]

Mr. Woolas: Local authorities in England were allocated the following capital grant for Implementing Electronic Government:

Capital grant (£)

2002-03

200,000

2003-04

200,000

2004-05

350,000

2005-06

150,000

2006-07

0

2007-08

0


The Local e-Government Programme was completed in March 2006, so no Implementing Electronic Government funding has been allocated for 2006-07 or 2007-08.

Empty Dwellings

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant homes there are in (a) England and (b) Swindon. [86631]

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows:

    At October 2005 there were an estimated 723,194 vacant homes in England.

    At October 2005 Swindon district council reported a total of 2,374 vacant homes.

    Source:

    Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) returns.

Fair Trade Councils

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to support local authorities becoming designated as fair trade councils. [87523]

Mr. Woolas: Local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions subject to the requirements of Best Value Legislation and to the EU/UK regulatory framework. Fair trade options have to be considered by local authorities within this framework.

False Fire Alarms

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many malicious false fire alarms were attended by the fire and rescue service in (a) each London borough and (b) constituency since 2004-05. [86813]

Angela E. Smith: Information provided by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) is shown in the following tables:


24 July 2006 : Column 806W
Malicious false fire alarms attended by London borough
2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

342

158

Barnet

245

157

Bexley

119

62

Brent

312

137

Bromley

182

122

Camden

267

321

City of London

18

13

Croydon

140

165

Ealing

234

96

Enfield

327

150

Greenwich

308

152

Hackney

368

121

Hammersmith and Fulham

132

59

Haringey

390

181

Harrow

222

91

Havering

114

78

Hillingdon

169

88

Hounslow

152

61

Islington

265

95

Kensington and Chelsea

135

66

Kingston-upon-Thames

65

64

Lambeth

348

149

Lewisham

324

109

Merton

65

41

Newham

446

173

Redbridge

136

103

Richmond-upon-Thames

35

26

Southwark

385

175

Sutton

65

36

Tower Hamlets

513

219

Waltham Forest

263

154

Wandsworth

196

102

Westminster

301

196



24 July 2006 : Column 807W
Malicious false fire alarms attended by constituency
2004-05 2005-06

Barking

177

96

Battersea

62

35

Beckenham

50

28

Bethnal Green and Bow

311

129

Bexleyheath and Crayford

49

26

Brent East

90

52

Brent North

88

33

Brent South

134

52

Brentford and Isleworth

83

30

Bromley and Chislehurst

57

35

Camberwell and Peckham

139

70

Carshalton and Wallington

37

26

Chingford and Woodford Green

37

45

Chipping Barnet

63

23

Cities of London and Westminster

231

167

Croydon Central

60

84

Croydon North

60

45

Croydon South

20

36

Dagenham

165J

62

Dulwich and West Norwood

93

38

Ealing North

82

30

Ealing, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush

109

47

Ealing, Southall

101

50

East Ham

179

60

Edmonton

84

45

Eltham

71

45

Enfield North

166

69

Enfield, Southgate

77

36

Erith and Thamesmead

135

53

Feltham and Heston

69

31

Finchley and Golders Green

62

47

Greenwich and Woolwich

153

68

Hackney North and Stoke Newington

154

52

Hackney South and Shoreditch

214

69

Hammersmith and Fulham

74

28

Hampstead and Highgate

51

45

Harrow East

183

76

Harrow West

39

15

Hayes and Harlington

103

44

Hendon

120

87

Holborn and St. Pancras

216

276

Hornchurch

31

28

Hornsey and Wood Green

135

86

Ilford North

46

25

Ilford South

75

63

Islington North

117

48

Islington South and Finsbury

148

46

Kensington and Chelsea

67

37

Kingston and Surbiton

61

60

Lewisham East

139

45

Lewisham West

114

42

Lewisham, Deptford

71

22

Leyton and Wanstead

88

49

Mitcham and Morden

41

27

North Southwark and Bermondsey

198

87

Old Bexley and Sidcup

19

22

Orpington

75

59

Poplar and Canning Town

290

132

Putney

42

24

Regent’s Park and Kensington North

155

70

Richmond Park

12

13

Romford

48

26

Ruislip-Northwood

26

17

Streatham

85

54

Sutton and Cheam

28

10

Tooting

92

43

Tottenham

255

95

Twickenham

27

17

Upminster

35

24

Uxbridge

40

27

Vauxhall

218

75

Walthamstow

153

75

West Ham

179

71

Wimbledon

24

14

Note:
Data supplied by LFEPA.

24 July 2006 : Column 808W

The total number of malicious false fire alarms by constituency is slightly less than by borough because of missing geographic information.

Fire Control Centres

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place to (a) monitor the progress of the roll out of regional fire control centres and (b) ensure all functions and duties currently undertaken by fire control centres are covered in the new structure. [86044]

Angela E. Smith: The FiReControl project is managed in line with the principles of PRINCE2 methodology and Office of Government Commerce (OGC) best practice.

It is managed in stages and includes separate accommodation and technology procurements. Regional projects have been established to plan and manage the changes at regional and FRS levels. Progress is monitored and reported against the project plan. Internal reports are provided to the Project Board, and upwards to the programme executive and DCLG Board. As a mission critical project, quarterly reports are also made to OGC and subject to the Gateway Review process.

All functions and duties currently undertaken in FRS control rooms that are essential to the operation of the fire and rescue service will be done in either the new regional control centres (RCCs) or FRS HQs. Following the responses to a recent questionnaire on current control room activities, we are working with our local delivery co-ordinators in each FRS to plan the effective transition of activities.

More detailed information on our recent follow-up work on existing control room activities can be found on the FiReControl website:

www.firecontrol.communities.gov.uk

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what response she has made to the Fire Brigade Union document Regional Control: national resilience. [86045]

Angela E. Smith: The Fire Brigade Union sent a copy of their document “Regional Control: national resilience” to the Deputy Prime Minister and requested a meeting. The Deputy Prime Minister met with the Fire Brigade Union Secretary on the 7 February 2006 to discuss their proposals, amongst other things.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the location is of each fire local control room in England, broken down by region; and how many people are employed at each. [86782]


24 July 2006 : Column 809W

Angela E. Smith: The information requested is tabulated as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 810W
Staff in post on 31 March 2005 (all persons having a fire control role)
Region Staff (full-time equivalents)

East of England: 6 control rooms

Kempston, Bedford

26

Huntingdon

29

Hutton (Essex)

(1)44

Hertford

26

Heathersett, Norwich

27

Ipswich

23

East Midlands: 5 control rooms

Littleover, Derby

32

Glenfield, Leicester

27

Lincoln

24

Northampton

23

Arnold, Nottingham

28

London: 1 control room

London SE1

111

North East: 4 control rooms

Hartlepool

23

Durham

27

Morpeth

23

Newcastle upon Tyne

36

North West: 5 control rooms

Winsford

24

Cockermouth

18

Swinton, Manchester

68

Fulwood, Preston

45

Bootle, Liverpool

54

South East: 9 control rooms

Tilehurst, Reading

34

Aylesbury

21

Eastbourne

27

Eastleigh

38

Newport (Isle of Wight)

13

Tovil, Maidstone

39

Kidlington, Oxford

21

Reigate

28

Chichester

31

South West: 7 control rooms

Bristol

34

Truro

16

Clyst St. George, Exeter

28

Dorchester

24

Quedgeley, Gloucester

21

Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton

21

Potterne, Devizes

24

West Midlands: 5 control rooms

Worcester

21

Shrewsbury

17

Stone

31

Royal Leamington Spa

17

Birmingham

62

Yorkshire and the Humber: 4 control rooms

Kingston upon Hull

29

Northallerton

24

Sheffield

38

Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire

55

(1) 2004 figure.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG.

Firefighters

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents (a) Merseyside Fire Service and (b) fire services in England experienced where booby-traps had been left to injure firemen in the course of carrying out their duties in each year for which figures are available. [88206]

Angela E. Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fires

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many outbreaks of fire were recorded in each London borough in each of the last five years. [86797]

Angela E. Smith: Information provided by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) is tabulated as follows.


24 July 2006 : Column 811W

24 July 2006 : Column 812W
Fires attended in each London borough, 2001-02 to 2005-06
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

2,451

2,066

2,960

1,853

1,651

Barnet

1,333

1,299

1,641

1,152

1,248

Bexley

1,745

1,295

1,968

1,337

1,370

Brent

1,367

1,230

1,518

1,124

1,062

Bromley

1,870

1,702

2,130

1,544

1,794

Camden

1,467

1,479

1,303

1,159

1,027

City of London

131

115

131

127

90

Croydon

1,949

1,481

2,084

1,407

1,360

Ealing

1,723

1,534

1,853

1,335

1,336

Enfield

1,834

1,554

2,116

1,496

1,398

Greenwich

2,766

2,285

3,270

1,892

2,092

Hackney

2,609

1,945

1,958

1,557

1,438

Hammersmith and Fulham

744

743

829

655

604

Haringey

1,569

1,402

1,426

1,192

1,107

Harrow

823

746

840

600

531

Havering

1,831

1,482

2,099

1,396

1,485

Hillingdon

1,997

1,893

2,134

1,313

1,211

Hounslow

1,875

1,589

2,112

1,219

1,187

Islington

1,797

1,701

1,707

1,127

1,177

Kensington and Chelsea

666

516

668

553

489

Kingston-upon-Thames

607

527

707

568

467

Lambeth

2,039

1,702

1,772

1,390

1,241

Lewisham

1,588

1,443

1,822

1,313

1,336

Merton

1,090

1,012

1,195

706

761

Newham

3,618

2,929

2,985

1,830

1,688

Redbridge

1,318

1,165

1,664

1,117

1,025

Richmond-upon-Thames

533

525

750

464

404

Southwark

2,740

2,341

2,523

2,026

1,737

Sutton

1,033

908

1,142

731

755

Tower Hamlets

4,008

3,162

3,531

2,761

2,602

Waltham Forest

1,301

1,289

1,779

1,115

1,165

Wandsworth

1,273

1,131

1,367

1,037

921

Westminster

1,501

1,377

1,300

1,197

1,199

Total

55,196

47,568

57,284

40,293

38,958

Note:
Data supplied by LFEPA, and include both primary and secondary fires.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary fires there were in England in each year since 1981; and how many dwelling fires there were in England in each year since 1976. [86803]

Angela E. Smith: The information requested is tabulated as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 813W

24 July 2006 : Column 814W
Primary, dwelling and secondary fires attended by fire and rescue services, England: 1976 to 2004
Thousand
Total primary fires Dwelling fires Secondary fires

1976

39.8

1977

40.1

1978

39.6

1979

48.4

1980

42.2

1981

113.0

44.4

112.9

1982

118.8

44.2

126.2

1983

122.4

45.0

132.6

1984

129.1

45.6

169.8

1985

131.0

48.5

125.6

1986

134.1

49.1

122.5

1987

135.0

49.4

102.9

1988

135.7

50.0

118.2

1989

144.5

50.1

194.0

1990

146.0

48.7

210.7

1991

155.8

49.4

156.3

1992

162.5

50.2

148.8

1993

160.2

50.7

168.6

1994

159.4

52.0

195.8

1995

161.3

52.2

300.2

1996

168.6

56.6

226.7

1997

164.5

57.6

189.5

1998

163.4

56.5

146.3

1999

178.8

57.5

180.0

2000

180.0

56.2

179.8

2001

188.4

54.8

229.5

2002

182.6

51.6

225.9

2003

176.8

51.1

308.5

2004

150.9

48.1

192.0

Notes:
1. Data collection methods have varied over time, so categories may not be consistent throughout the period.
2. Data includes estimates for incidents not recorded in November 2002 and January and February 2003 during industrial action.
Source:
Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deliberate (a) vehicle fires and (b) fires there were in each London borough in each of the last five years. [86836]

Angela E. Smith: Information provided by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) is showing in the following tables:

Deliberate vehicle fires attended by London Fire Brigade by borough
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

729

478

403

275

200

Barnet

195

229

200

138

180

Bexley

362

276

254

162

137

Brent

195

170

164

123

133

Bromley

569

461

375

299

336

Camden

147

120

81

57

61

City of London

0

2

0

0

1

Croydon

389

257

252

179

198

Ealing

316

278

220

142

145

Enfield

451

326

318

210

181

Greenwich

576

462

448

332

279

Hackney

585

399

267

139

156

Hammersmith and Fulham

51

67

46

26

24

Haringey

289

281

242

140

125

Harrow

150

138

74

49

36

Havering

377

333

330

201

196

Hillingdon

645

515

345

229

171

Hounslow

417

371

283

177

176

Islington

330

222

189

67

107

Kensington and Chelsea

32

31

26

23

21

Kingston-upon-Thames

133

96

120

124

51

Lambeth

234

179

144

92

104

Lewisham

267

255

185

117

131

Merton

253

205

157

102

93

Newham

830

579

441

237

215

Redbridge

332

222

177

124

132

Richmond-upon-Thames

46

48

33

25

28

Southwark

399

310

222

171

130

Sutton

162

140

145

73

68

Tower Hamlets

624

505

357

298

252

Waltham Forest

211

194

192

114

121

Wandsworth

127

92

112

56

54

Westminster

34

41

34

17

32



24 July 2006 : Column 815W

24 July 2006 : Column 816W
Deliberate fires attended by London Fire Brigade by borough
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

1,835

1,540

2,348

1,305

1,019

Barnet

698

706

815

518

592

Bexley

1,272

920

1,420

838

756

Brent

604

547

693

507

444

Bromley

1,362

1,247

1,499

1,072

1,141

Camden

664

685

585

407

341

City of London

15

16

17

20

3

Croydon

1,125

842

1,174

748

728

Ealing

1,084

847

944

619

605

Enfield

1,163

985

1,339

822

720

Greenwich

1,951

1,580

2,418

1,271

1,226

Hackney

1,871

1,249

1,083

647

585

Hammersmith and Fulham

293

314

328

187

174

Haringey

853

746

748

554

449

Harrow

477

393

408

257

206

Havering

1,317

1,061

1,525

925

880

Hillingdon

1,347

1,276

1,271

679

607

Hounslow

1,275

1,051

1,386

746

673

Islington

1,134

1,114

1,039

575

562

Kensington and Chelsea

189

129

198

153

114

Kingston-upon-Thames

307

245

347

299

198

Lambeth

932

780

806

548

468

Lewisham

866

795

980

639

619

Merton

632

577

704

346

346

Newham

2,743

2,148

1,989

1,013

856

Redbridge

841

691

823

565

515

Richmond-upon-Thames

229

254

326

197

145

Southwark

1,656

1,339

1,360

958

711

Sutton

663

564

739

404

406

Tower Hamlets

2,888

2,172

2,398

1,782

1,526

Waltham Forest

716

785

984

574

526

Wandsworth

565

472

611

419

292

Westminster

393

398

300

221

159

Note:
Data supplied by LFEPA, and includes both primary and secondary fires.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many large outbreaks of fire there were in each fire authority in each of the last 10 years. [87181]

Angela E. Smith: The information requested is in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 817W

24 July 2006 : Column 818W
Fires( 1, 2) attended by five or more pumping appliances by FRS area, England: 1995-2004
Number
FRS area 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

England

1,934

1,666

1,420

1,446

2,261

1,554

1,711

1,655

1,890

1,476

England-Non-Met counties

1,132

1,015

766

663

1,314

933

1,020

1,057

1,279

970

Avon

10

46

16

23

37

36

31

37

63

34

Bedfordshire

17

20

23

0

9

25

10

1

14

24

Berkshire

28

28

12

13

40

22

1

23

30

39

Buckinghamshire

28

21

10

6

24

15

4

31

16

7

Cambridgeshire

20

23

8

5

35

16

18

16

13

19

Cheshire

51

32

24

25

33

28

12

46

50

34

Cleveland

25

14

22

4

37

17

25

29

5

27

Cornwall

16

33

17

3

17

34

10

5

1

0

Cumbria

9

7

1

10

7

15

17

11

11

9

Derbyshire

25

15

8

9

17

8

12

17

16

12

Devon

57

39

42

33

33

23

55

100

34

54

Dorset

49

29

28

28

52

63

61

62

66

41

Durham

15

1

14

5

4

7

7

8

6

9

East Sussex

22

17

11

1

29

26

16

21

26

25

Essex

58

42

33

23

67

45

69

21

72

2

Gloucestershire

13

31

4

17

13

26

3

15

22

16

Hampshire

41

44

30

33

69

65

51

34

84

39

Hereford and Worcester

33

15

18

18

17

15

30

23

24

20

Hertfordshire

55

21

14

26

58

26

27

24

28

22

Humberside

47

48

19

20

72

24

51

68

59

12

Isle of Wight

9

3

16

3

7

6

5

0

0

0

Kent

92

116

60

45

'105

90

101

115

96

65

Lancashire

20

28

34

53

78

42

43

33

46

51

Leicestershire

25

18

35

31

33

22

13

24

20

20

Lincolnshire

27

19

12

23

28

28

17

15

24

33

Norfolk

36

13

24

10

53

29

38

42

48

39

North Yorkshire

30

18

29

8

14

11

10

28

21

20

Northamptonshire

16

13

6

8

54

11

2

4

36

19

Northumberland

10

2

27

6

4

1

0

6

17

9

Nottinghamshire

26

21

6

21

37

20

16

17

30

46

Oxfordshire

15

29

27

16

49

20

25

5

39

14

Shropshire

20

21

14

14

18

5

7

20

7

7

Somerset

13

13

5

12

35

18

25

27

21

16

Staffordshire

41

26

10

14

31

22

10

25

30

28

Suffolk

46

78

18

36

16

15

39

30

48

40

Surrey

13

20

27

9

20

5

46

16

58

26

Warwickshire

21

5

15

16

5

0

13

25

13

36

West Sussex

34

27

31

18

30

40

49

23

66

55

Wiltshire

17

19

16

18

29

12

50

7

21

1

Isles of Scilly

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

England-Met Counties

802

651

654

783

947

621

691

598

611

506

Greater Manchester

92

58

60

66

78

50

120

95

108

75

Merseyside

50

38

31

38

69

33

22

48

28

21

South Yorkshire

10

21

12

6

30

16

20

5

20

18

Tyne and Wear

28

28

62

40

44

25

99

33

38

24

West Midlands

117

126

156

249

209

197

126

135

136

138

West Yorkshire

98

62

50

56

63

49

52

58

40

30

Greater London

409

318

283

328

455

252

252

224

242

200

(1) Including additional late call and heat and smoke damage incidents (not recorded prior to 1994).
(2) Excluding incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.
Note:
Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals.
Source:
Fire and rescue service returns to DCLG

Fire Service

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of provision was during the recent Hertfordshire fire strike for interim fire and rescue cover (a) to tackle fire and (b) to assist with road accidents. [88074]

Angela E. Smith: Hertfordshire experienced three individual periods of strike action, on 20, 26 and31 May 2006, each lasting for eight hours. The level of fire and rescue cover varied from 11 up to 16 pumping appliances, plus a specialist rescue vehicle. All pumping appliances had capability for both firefighting and road traffic accidents. The specialist rescue vehicle was for road traffic accidents. It was in service for the first two periods of strike action, but not for the last period, when the skills were available in other crews.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government have to ensure inter-operability and improve communications between the fire service and the other emergency services. [86977]

Angela E. Smith: The Firelink project, providing updated wide area radio communications to the fire and rescue service, will roll out from this autumn through until 2009. Firelink will provide inter-operability with police and ambulance services at strategic and tactical command levels.

Golf Courses

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many golf courses were registered on the Ratings List for business rates in England in the most recent year for which figures are available. [88077]

Mr. Woolas: The number of properties described as a golf course in the 2005 Rating List for England, at31 January 2006, is 1,786.

Green Belt

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how she defines inappropriate development with regard to Green Belt policy. [87744]


24 July 2006 : Column 819W

Yvette Cooper: In deciding whether a development is inappropriate in the Green Belt the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is guided by Planning Policy Guidance note 2 (PPG2), Green Belts.

Horses

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to local authorities to deal with nuisance caused by horses (a) roaming wild in urban areas and (b) tethered on (i) public and (ii) private open space; and if she will make a statement. [85305]

Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.

The Animals Act 1971 and the Highways Act 1980 contain provisions that relate to stray horses. Responsibility for enforcing this legislation lies with the police and local authorities.

The Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988 created a specific offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 of causing unnecessary suffering to a horse, ass or mule by the manner or condition of its tethering. Anyone can seek to bring a prosecution where there is evidence of cruelty, either by tethering or by allowing horses to run free.

It is also an offence under the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 to abandon an animal in circumstances likely to cause it unnecessary suffering. The maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of £5,000 or a six months imprisonment, or both.

House Prices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of a home was in each London borough in each of the last five years. [82898]

Yvette Cooper: Average house prices for London boroughs and local authority districts from 1996 based on data from the Land Registry are published in Table 585 on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l156110

Housing (Hounslow)

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to the London borough of Hounslow for the upgrading and repairs of council housing stock to meet the decent homes standard since 1997. [84430]

Yvette Cooper: Capital investment by the London borough of Hounslow since 1997 via the housing revenue account system is set as follows. ALMO allowances are included in these figures.


24 July 2006 : Column 820W
£ million

1997-98

15,200,000

1998-99

12,523,000

1999-2000

12,948,000

2000-01

12,690,000

2001-02

10,028,000

2002-03

23,019,000

2003-04

38,901,000

2004-05

68,894,000

2005-06 (Planned)

68,413,000


Housing Renewal (Morecambe)

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated by English Partnerships to housing renewal in the West End of Morecambe under the West End Masterplan. [85033]

Yvette Cooper: Under the West End Masterplan for the renewal of the West End of Morecombe, English Partnerships have approved an investment of £8.6 million of which £4.5 million has been spent on land assembly and masterplanning works.

Intelligent Addressing

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use (a) her Department and (b) local authorities make of Intelligent Addressing in geographical information systems. [88069]

Angela E. Smith: The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has a development and demonstration licence with the Improvement and Development Agency to use the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) data produced under contract by Intelligent Addressing. NLPG data supports the National Register of Social Housing data collection. DCLG has previously used Intelligent Addressing directly as a contractor to perform address matching.

Local authorities access data and services provided by Intelligent Addressing through their Mapping Services Agreement.

Land Classification

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of land were classified as (a) urban and (b) suburban in each year since 1990, broken down by region. [84057]

Yvette Cooper: From the Department's statistics for Urban Settlements, the amounts of urban land in England were as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 821W
Hectares
1991 2001

North East

57,200

60,200

North West

153,100

160,300

Yorkshire and the Humber

114,100

121,000

East Midlands

92,300

100,900

West Midlands

122,700

129,200

East of England

124,200

134,900

London

130,600

130,500

South East

190,100

205,100

South West

103,000

116,700

England

1,087,200

1,158,900


Urban settlements are defined here as settlements with a population of 1,000 or more. They are based on the built-up extent and not on administrative boundaries. They are available only for census years, when there is information on population down to the necessary geographic level.

There is no standard definition of suburban areas and no information available centrally on their extent.

Land Value Tax

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the likely effects of introducing a land value tax. [88087]

Mr. Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made any assessment of the likely effects of introducing a land value tax.

Local Authority Staff (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff were employed by each London borough in each year since 1997. [87277]

Mr. Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this information.

Local Government

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of complying with BS 7799 on information security. [88065]

Mr. Woolas: As part of the Implementing Electronic Government return process, local authorities were asked to provide information on compliance with BS 7799 on information security management, as an advisory good practice outcome relating to the internal organisation and management practices of the council that are required to help deliver the people, systemsand service management changes necessary for e-government. No specific estimate of the costs of BS
24 July 2006 : Column 822W
7799 compliance has been made, as this outcome is advisory in status only. However, every local authority in England has been allocated £900,000 in capital grant up to help in Implementing Electronic Government up to the end of 2005-06.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the contact administration address is for each pension scheme within the Local Government Pension Scheme. [88066]

Mr. Woolas: The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government why the Audit Commission will not be reporting on Best Value Performance Indicator 199d for 2005-06. [88068]

Mr. Woolas: Best Value Performance Indicator 199d measures the year-on-year reduction in the numberof incidents and the increase in the number of enforcement actions taken to deal with fly-tipping. The indicator was introduced in 2005-06. It will not be possible to publish data showing year-on-year changes until the indicator has been in place for two years.

Local Government Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was given to each London borough per person in the Local Government Finance Settlement in each year since 1997. [87322]

Mr. Woolas: The table shows formula grant per head for each London borough for 1997-99 to 2006-07. Formula grant comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula Police Grant.

Formula grant per head has been calculated by dividing the total amount of formula grant received by the authority and dividing through by the mid-year population used in the calculation of the formula grant. For 1997-98 to 2005-06, the latest population estimates were used. These relate to the period two-years before the period for formula grant. For example, in 2005-06 the mid-2003 population estimates were used. In 2006-07, the population projections relating to the period of formula grant have been used i.e. the mid-2006 population projections.

Please note that these amounts are not comparable year-on-year due to changes in funding and function. For example, in 2006-07 support for school funding moved from Formula Grant (i.e. Revenue Support Grant plus Business Rates) to the dedicated schools grant.


24 July 2006 : Column 823W

24 July 2006 : Column 824W
Formula Grant per head
£ per head
Authority 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02

City of London

18,164.52

15,852.79

16,047.26

16,256.25

14,534.16

Camden

982.61

961.99

984.95

1,004.76

1,007.84

Greenwich

897.73

927.66

979.21

1,011.24

1,031.47

Hackney

1,194.50

1,180.36

1,223.50

1,219.51

1,220.75

Hammersmith and Fulham

880.69

859.55

881.44

891.84

888.44

Islington

1,034.01

1,031.03

1,057.50

1,095.58

1,131.96

Kensington and Chelsea

707.27

678.37

676.28

663.68

658.17

Lambeth

931.84

925.89

947.68

942.82

955.25

Lewisham

876.35

913.88

943.20

971.95

984.69

Southwark

979.61

1,017.10

1,079.73

1,111.58

1,142.66

Tower Hamlets

1,374.95

1,445.85

1,505.97

1,529.05

1,557.43

Wandsworth

755.36

732.30

755.23

763.54

770.85

Westminster

994.83

919.91

907.86

882.24

858.16

Barking and Dagenham

723.85

788.88

860.49

895.62

939.30

Barnet

544.66

564.16

575.81

590.74

609.57

Bexley

552.35

597.26

645.43

672.22

707.46

Brent

821.59

839.38

852.72

853.46

887.18

Bromley

482.85

500.64

523.78

546.53

573.70

Croydon

565.60

590.75

610.79

635.57

664.47

Ealing

658.24

690.73

708.83

728.48

748.79

Enfield

672.87

715.91

750.44

779.80

815.67

Haringey

863.87

903.95

914.60

945.85

974.67

Harrow

519.96

549.44

564.62

583.78

604.80

Havering

497.14

527.39

551.82

578.43

606.61

Hillingdon

564.99

579.41

601.07

628.46

657.98

Hounslow

721.59

738.92

761.13

783.11

816.62

Kingston upon Thames

485.93

495.37

508.72

520.12

540.01

Merton

514.27

542.20

572.85

577.62

587.09

Newham

1,059.98

1,147.08

1,193.80

1,236.93

1,279.71

Redbridge

634.79

672.79

708.52

740.91

780.59

Richmond upon Thames

374.93

381.37

388.29

393.32

404.90

Sutton

546.11

569.83

598.98

620.89

652.49

Waltham Forest

759.34

806.74

845.99

869.86

908.69



24 July 2006 : Column 825W

24 July 2006 : Column 826W
£ per head
Authority 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

City of London

13,974.07

13,336.05

13,658.95

13,990.73

10,892.15

Camden

975.93

1,029.92

1,065.62

1,128.11

649.22

Greenwich

1,024.41

1,141.71

1,191.33

1,273.76

637.32

Hackney

1,227.81

1,349.32

1,406.90

1,529.12

926.93

Hammersmith and Fulham

881.52

933.38

960.60

1,022.59

607.79

Islington

1,144.29

1,231.86

1,276.68

1,361.13

779.20

Kensington and Chelsea

642.46

811.08

811.43

804.81

475.65

Lambeth

973.20

1,062.03

1,109.44

1,184.75

720.99

Lewisham

994.07

1,083.38

1,139.18

1,224.82

654.45

Southwark

1,187.73

1,273.47

1,330.79

1,419.22

818.59

Tower Hamlets

1,587.54

1,652.19

1,699.98

1,835.16

964.30

Wandsworth

756.02

833.61

844.45

875.22

481.47

Westminster

838.59

1,189.86

1,175.91

1,069.94

644.46

Barking and Dagenham

950.49

984.56

1,058.69

1,130.13

489.58

Barnet

586.25

684.46

700.94

735.17

240.81

Bexley

710.29

755.29

786.46

833.38

260.15

Brent

877.72

952.43

973.54

1,053.47

568.01

Bromley

551.10

611.57

630.81

661.23

184.43

Croydon

681.04

742.02

769.71

812.14

306.90

Ealing

742.43

827.53

850.90

918.79

422.17

Enfield

815.37

861.06

897.12

952.19

351.52

Haringey

990.07

1,071.42

1,086.46

1,143.28

583.70

Harrow

623.92

707.04

737.48

789.50

278.34

Havering

619.26

687.16

720.61

754.58

209.03

Hillingdon

647.95

749.14

786.76

844.87

286.72

Hounslow

792.16

859.34

885.70

951.47

381.50

Kingston upon Thames

522.92

585.92

616.03

662.54

208.76

Merton

588.37

648.65

675.70

731.91

307.94

Newham

1,311.56

1,396.40

1,416.75

1,514.26

742.24

Redbridge

753.08

795.06

828.45

882.46

326.06

Richmond upon Thames

412.06

503.07

512.91

537.24

126.87

Sutton

635.30

702.69

754.39

815.00

263.32

Waltham Forest

932.00

991.33

1,022.27

1,080.25

492.69


London Mayor

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much extra funding the Government plan to provide to the Greater London Authority to finance the new responsibilities of the London Mayor. [86781]

Mr. Woolas: In line with our policy of meeting net new burdens costs, the Government are committed to meeting reasonable net additional costs falling on the GLA as a result of its new responsibilities.

Mineral Extraction

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on applications for mineral extraction operations in areas of outstanding natural beauty. [88345]

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment her Department has made of the impact of quarries on (a) residential areas and (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty; [87249]

(2) what her Department's definition is of an exceptional circumstance, for the purposes of Minerals Policy Statement 2, in which mineral extraction would be allowed in an area of outstanding beauty; [87250]

(3) what steps she has taken to satisfy herself that Minerals Policy Statement 2, on controlling and mitigating the environmental effects of mineral extraction in England, protects areas of outstanding natural beauty from unnecessary and damaging quarrying. [87251]

Meg Munn: Planning guidance to local authorities on planning applications in areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) is set out in Planning Policy Statement (PPS)7 Sustainable Development in Rural Areas. PPS7 states that AONBs have been confirmed by the Government have having the highest standards of protection in relation to landscape and scenic beauty. Major developments (including mineral working) should not take place in these areas except in exceptional circumstances and applications for such developments should be subject to the most rigorous examination. Major development proposals should be demonstrated to be in the public interest before being allowed to proceed and will need to be assessed against the criteria set out in paragraph 22 of PPS7. However, it will be for local planning authorities to decide on a case by case basis whether exceptional circumstances exist which would allow them to grant planning permission for a minerals development in an AONB.

No recent assessment of the impacts of mineral operations on residential areas or areas of outstanding natural beauty has been undertaken by my Department. Any adverse potential impacts of quarries will need to be considered by mineral planning authorities after applications for planning permission have been submitted. Mineral operators will need to demonstrate to local planning authorities in planning applications including (where appropriate) through the preparation of environmental impact assessments that their proposals are acceptable. Minerals Policy Statement (MPS)2 “Controlling and Mitigating the Environmental Effects of Minerals Extraction in England” stresses that mineral planning authorities should take account of the full range of social, community, economic and environmental issues relevant to the planning decision. Any adverse effects on local communities, environmental damage or loss of amenity must be kept to an acceptable minimum. MPS2 advises mineral planning authorities on the use of appropriate planning conditions, which must be capable of being monitored, to mitigate any environmental impacts. Where adverse environmental effects cannot be adequately controlled or mitigated through the design of proposals or the attachment of conditions, planning permission should be refused.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will visit Kettering to attend a public meeting to discuss her Department's housing expansion plans for Northamptonshire. [82864]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 6 July 2006]: We consider that Kettering plays an important part in the growth proposals for North Northamptonshire. We are kept regularly updated on development of the plans to take these forward and I chair the regular Milton Keynes and South Midlands Inter Regional Board. In addition, officials are closely involved with the borough council and other partners in bringing forward housing, growth and other agendas. There have already been a number of ministerial visits to North Northamptonshire and more are planned. DCLG Ministers are more than happy to discuss housing development in Kettering with key partners during future visits to Northamptonshire.


24 July 2006 : Column 827W

Multi-foil Insulation

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she has commissioned on the insulating qualities of multi-foil insulation products. [86744]

Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned the Building Research Establishment to provide ‘The thermal performance of multi-foil insulation’ a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to building control officers regarding the use of multi-foil insulation products. [86749]

Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government issued guidance to building control officers in England and Wales on 19 June, following its circular letter on 30 March in which we mentioned UKAS accreditation. We have since understood that UKAS accreditation was not possible since there was no adopted test method. So the Department wrote to LABC Services and the Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors on 19 June and referred them instead to the Approved Documents for Part L, Conservation of Fuel and Power, and Regulation 7 which sets out ways for assessing fitness for purpose for materials.

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how multi-foil insulation products are treated under Approved Document L of the Building Regulations. [86760]

Angela E. Smith: Part L of the Building Regulations and its associated Approved Documents do not refer to multi-foil insulation or any other type of insulation product. The Approved Documents indicate that the methods for calculating thermal performance and establishing the thermal properties of insulation materials must be as described in BR443 “Conventions for U-value calculations”.

National Land and Property Gazetteer

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Audit Commission plans to undertake a formal audit of the probity and efficiency of public expenditure on the National Land and Property Gazetteer. [88083]

Mr. Woolas: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission. The Chief Executive of the Audit Commission has written to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

National Land Information Service

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Land Information Service; and if she will make a statement. [85701]


24 July 2006 : Column 828W

Mr. Woolas: The National Land Information Service is a community interest company, and the Government do not therefore have any formal role in assessing its effectiveness.

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what stock was transferred from the Government wine cellar to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06. [85708]

Angela E. Smith: None.

Ordnance Survey

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments the Valuation Office Agency makes to Ordnance Survey (OS) outside the pan-government OS agreement for access to the imagery and photographic data that OS holds. [87350]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency does not take any imagery or photographic data from Ordnance Survey and consequently makes no payment for such.

Pathways to Work

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures exist in Pathways to Work to assist individuals who may be continuously in and out of work due to (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other long-term and fluctuating medical conditions. [85292]

Mr. Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.

Our Welfare Reform Bill set out our plans to assess people based on the effects a condition has on a person's capacity to work. This is not done on the basis of a single “snapshot” assessment but over a reasonable period of time given the nature of the condition. In this way we will take account of the effects of fluctuating and long-term conditions. Personal advisers have the freedom to waive or defer a work-focused interview where a claimant is unable to participate for good reason.

We aim to have a system that can be flexible to an individual's changing condition. We will be sensitive to each person's situation and take serious consideration of any medical advice given, such as that provided by a GP. Our services are delivered by personal advisers whose key motivating factor is the help they are able to offer. These advisers receive specialist training to give them the skills, knowledge, techniques and confidence to deal with customers whose circumstances include having a health condition or disability. If someone cannot reasonably participate in back-to-work activity because of their current health condition, they will not be required to do so. It is about people meeting with an adviser to discuss their circumstances and look for ways to improve the quality of their day-to-day living and perhaps begin to chart a route back to work.


24 July 2006 : Column 829W

In Pathways to Work areas, our Condition Management Programmes have been effective in helping individuals with health conditions to return to work. The programmes, jointly delivered by Jobcentre Plus and NHS Primary Care Trusts, offer help to the very large proportion of people coming on to incapacity benefit who want and expect to work again but genuinely believe that they are too ill to do anything about it. The programmes are designed to assist individuals understand and manage their health conditions better, particularly in a workplace environment, and reflect current best clinical practice in the management of these conditions.


24 July 2006 : Column 830W

Planning (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning enforcement notices were issued in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87278]

Meg Munn: The number of planning enforcement notices issued in each London borough in each year since 1997 is presented in the following table:

Formal enforcement notices issued by London borough councils 1997 to 2005
Council name 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

City of London

2

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

Barking and Dagenham

9

5

1

5

14

15

20

12

16

Barnet

51

36

38

47

42

27

53

67

97

Bexley

24

1

15

5

10

4

6

9

15

Brent

71

64

119

103

85

104

101

117

157

Bromley

123

128

105

105

87

101

65

111

115

Camden

64

67

73

105

62

64

41

47

27

Croydon

23

19

32

11

25

30

13

14

42

Ealing

11

39

26

30

44

46

31

59

46

Enfield

46

40

42

29

27

14

18

64

88

Greenwich

19

14

54

47

38

28

34

22

41

Hackney

0

9

19

0 (3)

n/a (0)

9

24

16

0

Hammersmith and Fulham

30

25

65

48

54

45

39

52

31

Haringey

21

44

37

50

54

73

65

66

91

Harrow

43

21

27

9

13

22

13

8

10

Havering

17

14

13

8

8

11

16

22

20

Hillingdon

10

12

7 (2)

(0)

7 (3)

0

0

0

0 (3)

Hounslow

9

34

43

54

30

56

51

8

38

Islington

32

33

21

17

49

94

40

27

51

Kensington and Chelsea

58

53

53

45

34

53

66

84

38 (3)

Kingston upon Thames

13

9

10 (3)

12

20

17

23

36

13

Lambeth

12

41

18

21

32

19

31

26

43

Lewisham

7

6

2 (1)

7 (3)

3

7

18

26

28

Merton

5 (3)

5

0

8

7

7

22

20

16

Newham(1)

53

25

24

9

1

25

18

14

73

Redbridge

35

24

55

26

21

19

0

1

10

Richmond upon Thames

14

31

10

22

21

33

39

17

58

Southwark(1)

12

15

5

6

4

7

9

26

9

Sutton

13

2 (3)

14

11

9

10

20

11

19

Tower Hamlets(1)

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Waltham Forest

28

28

39

0

27

31

4

36

45

Wandsworth

8

7

1

5

10

8

19

40

15

City of Westminster

75

37

67

102

84

104

104

164

156

Total

938

889

1,036

947

922

1,083

1,004

1,222

1,408

n/a = Not available.
(1) These councils included areas within London Dockland Development Corporation, however the statistics exclude enforcement within the LDDC. The LDDC served no enforcement notice during 1997 or 1998 when the LDDC was wound up.
Note:
The number in parenthesis indicates how many quarters were reported.
Source:
DCLG General Development Control Return, PS1.

24 July 2006 : Column 831W

Small Business Rate Relief

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 928W, on small business rate relief, how many small firms she estimates claimed relief in 2005-06; and if she will estimate the proportion of small firms who were eligible who claimed the relief. [88249]

Mr. Woolas: This information is not held centrally.

Sports and Leisure Facilities

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what conclusions on (a) the relative merits of (i) private and (ii) public sector contracts for sports and leisure facilities and (b) the future letting of contracts for sport and leisure facilities she drew from the Audit Commission report “Public Sports and Recreational Services”. [87625]

Mr. Caborn: I have been asked to reply.

I agree with the report's conclusion that there is no single “best practice” model for managing local authority leisure services. The report makes clear that both the public and private sector can provide good public leisure services for local communities where councils have taken decisions based on a robust options appraisal. It is important that councils, with support from Government, continue to get better at managing their leisure provision which is why I have asked Sport England to work closely with them in taking forward the Audit Commission's recommendations.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she will take to improve strategic planning in leisure services following the publication of the Audit Commission report “Public Sports and Recreational Services”. [87626]

Mr. Caborn: I have been asked to reply.

We want to help local authorities to revitalise their leisure facilities and to ensure that the right sports facilities are in the right places. Sport England has already developed a range of strategic planning tools to assist them. These include, among others: the Active Places database, which provides a comprehensive picture of sports facilities across the country; the National Benchmarking Service; a Facilities Planning Model; and a Sports Facilities Demand Estimator. In addition, I have charged Sport England with the task of driving forward work with local authorities to improve the quality of their sports facilities and service delivery. They are creating an Improvement Unit to deliver this.

Valuation Office Agency

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research the Valuation Office Agency has undertaken in relation to developing (a) a national property database and (b) a National Spatial Data Infrastructure. [88092]


24 July 2006 : Column 832W

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has maintained a national database of properties in England and Wales to enable it to discharge its statutory functions for many years.

The VOA has not researched the development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 May 2006, Official Report, columns 956-7W, on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), when the VOA’s communications strategy for the council tax revaluation was (a) submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) last (i) updated and (ii) amended by the VOA. [88282]

Mr. Woolas: The answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 10 May 2006, Official Report, columns 956-7W, explains that a communications strategy was being drafted by the Valuation Office Agency before the postponement of council tax revaluation in England, announced on20 September 2005.

Working jointly with the, then, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Agency worked on a proposed strategy from late 2003. The draft was last amended in April 2005 and has not been updated since, due to the postponement.

Valuebill Database

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government have made of whether the Valuation Office Agency’s Automated Valuation Model holds sensitive personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998. [86834]

Mr. Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency’s Automated Valuation Model (AVM) is a processing tool and does not hold data.

Education and Skills

Accidents

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many accidents have taken place in establishments for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; how many court cases have arisen as a result; how much has been awarded in (a) damages and (b) settlements; and if he will make a statement. [81906]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department has received three personal injury claims relating to accidents on its premises, since 1 July 2005. Two of the cases are ongoing and one was settled out of court, at a cost to my Department of £479.99 to cover costs for physiotherapy and damage to personal property.


24 July 2006 : Column 833W

Adoptions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children whose parents have learning difficulties were adopted in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [86340]

Mr. Dhanda: We do not collect centrally information on parents of children looked after therefore figures are not available for the number of children adopted whose parents have learning difficulties.

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87065]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department’s total spend on advertising campaigns was:

£

2000-01

29,110,000

2001-02

17,665,000

2002-03

13,790,000

2003-04

20,170,000


Campaigns over £500,000 are:

2000-01
£

Don’t Quit Now

2,700,000

New deal 50 plus

2,400,000

ICT Employability

2,011,000

Childcare Recruitment

1,821,000

Parents’ Magazine

1,484,000

Disability Discrimination

1,242,000

Fast Track Teachers

1,056,000

Modern Apprenticeships

856,000

Individual Learning Accounts

612,000


2001-02
£

Adult Basic Skills ‘Get on’

5,096,143

Childcare Recruitment

2,504,000

Science Year 2001/02

1,803,000

Excellence Challenge

1,750,000

Modern Apprenticeships

1,670,000

Foundation Degree

1,325,000

Fast Track Teachers

1,250,000

Millennium Volunteers

848,000

Parents’ Magazine

770,000

New Deal 25+

633,000


2002-03
£

Adult Basic Skills

5,478,117

Childcare Recruitment

2,741,377

Aim Higher

2,649,999

Connexions

1,320,331

HE Funding

655,000

Foundation Degree

549,397


24 July 2006 : Column 834W

2003-04
£

Adult Basic Skills

6,672,938

Aim Higher

4,190,018

Childcare Recruitment

2,986,659

Foundation Degree

2,813,787

Connexions

2,608,005


It is not possible, except at disproportionate expense, to provide a more detailed breakdown for actual dates for when each campaign ran, other than detailing the Financial Year within which the expenditure occurred.

The Department runs a number of campaigns in support of our key delivery priorities, in order to inform our target audiences of how they are affected by our policies. All of our campaigns follow the guidelines which govern Government information on issues of propriety and cost.

Every campaign is measured vigorously against specific communication objectives using pre- and post-campaign research, to record shifts in awareness, attitudes, knowledge or behaviour among the target audience(s).

The Department employs tracking research to monitor these shifts over time and, typically, conducts telephone surveys of respondents to advertising campaigns, to monitor satisfaction with the services offered and actions taken as a result of the campaign. It routinely tests the likely effectiveness of different creative approaches on the target audience(s) through market research, as part of the development of advertising campaigns. Lessons learnt from previous campaigns are used to inform future ones.

Autism

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what steps he plans to take to provide specialist teacher training for the support of children with autism in mainstream schooling; [86500]

(2) what steps his Department is taking to support specialist teacher training for the support of children with autism in mainstream schooling. [86547]

Mr. Dhanda: The framework for teacher training ensures that qualifying and newly qualified teachers, including those who support children with autism in mainstream schools, are aware of their responsibilities to children with special educational needs (SEN) and can plan effectively to meet these children’s needs. Further, in-service training on particular SEN, such as autism, is a matter for schools and local authorities.

In order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status, all trainee teachers must demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities under the statutory Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, know how to seek advice from specialists on less common types of SEN, can differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEN, and can identify and support pupils who experience behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

The current standards for teachers are under review. Once revised, it is proposed that they will be strengthened to include a standard which requires teachers to know and comply with current legislation
24 July 2006 : Column 835W
on well being of children and young people and one which requires teachers to know and understand the role of others when dealing with children who have special needs and/or disabilities.

Induction Standards require Newly Qualified Teachers to demonstrate that they can plan effectively to meet the needs of pupils in their classes with SEN, with or without a statement, and in consultation with the SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO), can contribute to the planning for individual needs.

The Department’s published SEN Strategy, ‘Removing Barriers to Achievement’ recognised the importance of training and committed us to work closely with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to ensure that initial teacher training and programmes of continuing professional development provide a good grounding in core skills and knowledge of SEN. We have commissioned the TDA to carry forward a range of initiatives designed to improve and strengthen the SEN skills and confidence of trainees, newly qualified and established teachers. These initiatives will be implemented over the period 2005-08 at a cost of approximately £1.1 million.

All schools receive a School Development Grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development of SEN.

In 2002 we published jointly with the Department of Health, “Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): Good Practice Guidance” which offered a series of pointers to good practice, including pointers on in-service training. The Guidance advises that,

    “all those who plan or provide for children with an ASD should have some knowledge and understanding of autism”.

Many schools, local authorities and Regional Partnerships have used the Guidance to develop their autism provision. The West Midlands Regional Partnership last month published “autism spectrum disorders: training policy and framework” to ensure more consistency in ASD training by clarifying the knowledge and skills that courses are aiming to cover. This has been distributed to all the Regional Partnerships.

Becta

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish the most recent review of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. [87360]

Phil Hope: The most recent review of Becta was published in March 2003. Copies of the reports are lodged in the Commons Library and are also available on Becta's website:

    www.foi.becta.org.uk


24 July 2006 : Column 836W

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects schools in Brent to receive funding from the Building Schools for the Future programme. [87782]

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my predecessor on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 394W, when she was advised that Brent has been informed that it may expect to start in the programme in waves 7-9.

CAFCASS

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the timetable is for the allocation of cases in (a) private and (b) public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). [86962]

Mr. Dhanda: This is a matter for CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Lamorna Wooderson, dated 20 July 2006:

    In my capacity as Acting Chief Executive, whilst Mr Douglas is on leave, I am responding to the recent parliamentary question that you tabled.

    PQ 86962 - what the timetable is for the allocation of cases in (a) private and (b) public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

    CAFCASS aims to allocate all cases at the earliest opportunity. In public law we have a Key Performance Indicator, to allocate at least 70% of cases within 2 days of receipt by March 2007. At the end of May 2006 five of our ten regions are exceeding this target. The national average was 55.3%. In addition, we have a Key Performance Indicator, to allocate 98% of public law cases within 28 days of receipt. At the end of May we achieved this in 92% of cases, with 5 regions exceeding the target.

    We have an internal performance indicator that there will be no more than 4% of Private Law cases unallocated. At the end of May 3% of cases were unallocated. All but 4 regions met the target as 97% of requests received had been allocated by the month end.

Child Care

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places were available in Swindon in each year since 1997. [86636]

Beverley Hughes: The available information on child care places, for Swindon local authority area, is shown in Tables 1 and 2.


24 July 2006 : Column 837W

24 July 2006 : Column 838W
Table 1: Number( 1, 2 ) of day care places for children under eight years of age by type of provider, Swindon local authority area, position at 31 March each year, 1997 to 2002
Type of provider 1997( 3) 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Day nurseries

n/a

n/a

1,100

1,100

1,100

n/a

Playgroups and pre-schools

n/a

n/a

1,600

1,500

1,500

n/a

Child minders

n/a

n/a

2,200

2,200

2,100

n/a

Out of school clubs

n/a

n/a

550

680

840

n/a

Holiday schemes(4)

n/a

n/a

2,700

1,300

1,400

n/a

Family Centres

n/a

n/a

(5)—-

(5)—-

(5)—-

n/a

n/a = Not available.
(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 places.
(2) Data Source: Children’s Day Care Facilities Survey.
(3) Affected by local government reorganisation on 1 April 1997.
(4) From 1999, places were counted once for each school holiday. Before 1999, places were counted once each year.
(5) Under 5.

Table 2: Number( 1, 2 ) of registered child care places for children under eight years of age by type of care, Swindon local authority area, position at 31 March each year, 2003 to 2006
Type of care 2003 2004 2005 2006

Full day care

1,200

1,800

2,100

2,200

Sessional day care

1,400

1,400

1,300

1,200

Child minders

1,900

1,800

1,800

2,000

Out of school day care

1,300

1,500

1,500

1,400

Crèche day care

100

100

100

100

(1) Rounded to the nearest 100 places.
(2) Data Source: Ofsted.

The figures for child care places for 2003 to 2006 are not directly comparable with the day care figures for 1997 to 2001. The figures for 2003 to 2006 were derived from the Ofsted database of registered child care providers. The figures for 1997 to 2001 were derived from the Children’s Day Care Facilities Survey, which was discontinued in 2001. There are no figures for 2002.

With the introduction of the National Day Care Standards and the transfer of responsibilities for registration and inspection of child care providers from local authority social service departments to Ofsted in September 2001, child care places were classified according to the type of day care provided: full day care, sessional day care, child minder, out of school day care or crèche day care. Ofsted have produced figures based on this classification on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published on 5 May 2006 in their report “Registered Childcare Providers and Places, 31 March 2006”, which is available on their website, www. ofsted.gov.uk/publications

Up until March 2001, child care providers were classified according to the type of provider: day nurseries, playgroups and pre-schools, child minders, out of school clubs and holiday schemes. Figures based on this classification were published in a series of statistical bulletins, which are available from the Department’s website, www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics

Child Deaths

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Part 8 reviews into child deaths have occurred in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years. [84571]

Mr. Dhanda: The Child Protection Database, maintained by the Commission for Social Care Inspection, provides the data in the table on the numbers of confirmed Serious Case Reviews (SCRs), following the death of a child, in each local authority since 2000. Accurate data prior to 2000 are not available. The following table includes only those authorities where a child death has led to a confirmed SCR and provides an overall total for between 2000-05. In order to maintain the confidentiality of individual children who were the subject of a SCR, ((1)—) denotes fewer than three SCRs. The data for 2006 are not yet complete.


24 July 2006 : Column 839W
2000-05
Responsible Council Number

Barking and Dagenham

(1)

Barnsley

4

Bedfordshire

4

Birmingham

12

Blackpool UA

(1)

Bolton

9

Bournemouth UA

3

Bradford

4

Brent

(1)

Bristol UA

(1)

Calderdale

(1)

Cambridgeshire

(1)

Camden

(1)

Cheshire

5

Cornwall

(1)

Coventry

4

Croydon

(1)

Cumbria

3

Derby UA

(1)

Derbyshire

(1)

Devon

4

Doncaster

6

Durham

5

Ealing

(1)

Enfield

Essex

5

Gloucestershire

3

Hackney

(1)

Hartlepool UA

4

Havering

4

Hertfordshire

7

Hounslow

(1)

Isle of Wight UA

1

Islington

(1)

Kent

(1)

Kingston-upon-Hull UA

(1)

Kingston-upon-Thames

3

Kirklees

4

Knowsley

(1)

Lambeth

(1)

Lancashire

5

Leeds

4

Leicester UA

(1)

Leicestershire

(1)

Lewisham

3

Lincolnshire

3

Liverpool

(1)

Luton UA

5

Manchester

12

Medway Towns UA

(1)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

(1)

Newham

8

Norfolk

(1)

North Lincolnshire UA

5

North Somerset UA

(1)

North Yorkshire

(1)

Northamptonshire

11

Northumberland

(1)

Nottingham UA

(1)

Nottinghamshire

7

Oldham

3

Other

(1)

Plymouth UA

3

Rochdale

(1)

Rotherham

(1)

Sandwell

(1)

Sheffield

3

Solihull

(1)

Somerset

(1)

Somerset

(1)

South Gloucestershire UA

(1)

Southend-on-Sea UA

(1)

Southwark

(1)

St. Helens

(1)

Stockport

(1)

Stockton-on-Tees UA

3

Stoke-on-Trent UA

6

Suffolk

6

Sunderland

(1)

Surrey

(1)

Sutton

(1)

Swindon UA

6

Tameside

(1)

Thurrock UA

(1)

Torbay UA

(1)

Trafford

3

Wakefield

6

Waltham Forest

4

Warwickshire

(1)

Westminster

(1)

Wigan

3

Wirral

(1)

Wolverhampton

3

Worcestershire

(1)

(1 )Fewer than three SCRs.

24 July 2006 : Column 840W

Chinese Students

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from mainland China studied in England in each year since 1997. [86632]

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table:

Students from mainland China who studied( 1) in English higher education institutions in each year since 1997
Academic year Number

1997/98

2,070

1998/99

3,040

1999/2000

4,990

2000/01

8,685

2001/02

15,265

2002/03

26,975

2003/04

36,580

2004/05

39,280

(1) Figures include both undergraduate and postgraduate students and also full-time and part-time students.
Notes:
1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December (excluding those writing up, on sabbatical or dormant).
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record data.

Communication Disability

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance is available to children's trusts on joint working between agencies responsible for supporting children with communication disabilities; [86773]

(2) what professional support is available to assist early years practitioners to assist children with communication disabilities; [86774]

(3) what assessment the Department has made of the long-term impact for children with a speech and language disability; [86776]

(4) what steps he has taken to improve parental awareness of Government support for children with communication disabilities; [86777]

(5) what assessment his Department has made of the merits of implementing a national unitary framework for special educational needs. [86778]

Mr. Dhanda: The Joint Planning and Commissioning Framework for Children, Young People, and Maternity Services, published in March 2006, aims to help local partners to put in place a unified planning and commissioning system which will put improved outcomes at the centre of their thinking, will create a clear picture of what children and young people need, will make the best use of resources, and will join up services so that children and young people with multiple needs experience a seamless service.

To assist the process of joint working, the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health have commissioned a study of good practice in the provision of speech and language
24 July 2006 : Column 841W
therapy services to children and young people with special educational needs in the age range 0 to 19. A research team from Christ Church College Canterbury is carrying out this study and the fieldwork is currently under way.

The Department recognises that early identification of need, early intervention and early coordinated support are key in improving outcomes for children with communication difficulties. As part of a major new £250 million investment in improving the quality of the early years work force, the Department has identified training to support practitioners working in private, voluntary and independent sector settings in meeting the needs of disabled children and their families as one of four priority areas. This is new money and complements the training resources already available to local authorities through the General Sure Start Grant. The Department has also funded the development in partnership with 45 partnership areas of a wide range of practical resources and training materials through the Early Support Programme.

The Department is supporting a longitudinal study by the university of Warwick looking into the learning needs of a group of children with specific language and communication difficulties, the characteristics of the current provision made for them and its impact, their aspirations for the future and the ways in which services can best support them. The results of the study are due to be published in autumn 2006.

Parental awareness of speech and language difficulties is of course very important. In 2005 the Department published a detailed and well received information booklet for parents on speech and language difficulties under the Early Support Programme. This resource was produced in close collaboration with specialist organisations in the voluntary sector and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. It explains how children normally develop communication, language and speech, how adults can help in this, the difficulties that can arise and how to seek help from professionals.

In the report of their inquiry into special educational needs published on 6 July 2006, the Education and Skills Select Committee make recommendations concerning the possible shape and nature of a national framework on SEN. We are considering the Select Committee's report very carefully and will respond in due course.

Diplomas

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what projections he has made of the number and proportion of pupils in the fourth key stage who will opt to study for (a) a general diploma and (b) a specialised diploma in each of the first five years following their introduction; [87353]

(2) what his Department’s targets are for the take-up of (a) academic and (b) vocational qualifications in each of the next five years; [87354]

(3) how many and what proportion of pupils (a) in the fourth key stage and (b) between the ages of 14 and 19 years he expects to opt for vocational qualifications in each of the next five years. [87355]


24 July 2006 : Column 842W

Jim Knight: The Chapter 6, paragraph 18, of the ‘Department’s Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners’, published on 8 July 2004, set out our aim to extend vocational options across all schools as part of our commitment to strengthening choice and the personalisation of the curriculum. To support this aim, the Strategy stated that we will dramatically increase the number of 14-16 year olds studying vocational subjects in schools, colleges and training providers to just over 180,000 by 2007-08.

The Department published its projections for 14-16 year olds take up of specialised Diplomas in the 14-19 Implementation Plan, Chapter 1, page 20, figure 1.3. A copy of the Implementation Plan is in the Library. Figure 1.4 shows the estimated participation of 16-18 year olds in education and work-based learning over the period 2002/03 to 2014/15. We expect the numbers of young people participating to increase as more learning options become available to them. We also expect the balance of provision to shift towards specialised Diplomas as these come on stream.

Young people wishing to do just GCSEs will be able to do so. They will also be eligible for award of the General Diploma when this is introduced in 2009.

Electronic Children's Database

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2006, Official Report, column 1384W, on the Electronic Children’s Database (1) what plans he has to prevent accidental loss or theft of data stored in the index; [86889]

(2) what plans there are (a) to link and (b) to enable data-sharing between the Information Sharing Index and the National Identity Register; [86890]

(3) what rights (a) children, (b) their parents and (c) children on the index who have reached adulthood will have to view their personal data stored on the Information Sharing Index; [86891]

(4) what legal requirement there will be permanently to delete information from the Information Sharing Index once (a) the child reaches adulthood and (b) a set period of time has passed; [86892]

(5) whether the Information Sharing Index will hold (a) fields and (b) information for Audit Trail log files on which organisations or individuals have been examining or amending individual records; [86901]

(6) what the differences are between the Information Sharing Index database and Integrated Children’s system database; [86902]

(7) what plans he has to introduce offences for the misuse or abuse of the database; [86903]

(8) whether he plans to establish the statutory limitation on what data the Information Sharing Index will hold and which public sector bodies can access the database by means of (a) primary legislation and (b) secondary legislation. [86978]


24 July 2006 : Column 843W

Beverley Hughes: In relation to questions (86889 and 86903), the Information Sharing Index will be designed to ensure a high level of physical and environmental security to protect against natural hazards that could interrupt service. Arrangements will be in place to enable operations to continue effectively, notwithstanding any system component failures. There will be an effective and tested contingency plan that would, for example, ensure that a back-up system is in place.

We see no need to introduce specific offences as there are already measures in criminal law which impose penalties for theft or misuse of data or unauthorised access to computer records. Mandatory training for all users and operators of the index will stipulate that the Data Protection Act provides that a serious offence, with a penalty of a fine up to the statutory maximum, will be committed where personal data is unlawfully obtained or disclosed without the consent of the data controller. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 provides that unauthorised access, or attempted unauthorised access to a program or data held on a computer may be punishable by imprisonment.

In relation to question (86901), all index use will be monitored through the creation of an audit trail record. Users will be required to supply a valid reason when searching for and viewing an index record. All access to any record will be recorded and reviewed regularly for suspicious patterns of access. Misuse of the index will therefore be detected and dealt with through internal disciplinary procedures or the criminal measures referred to.

In relation to question (86890), the index will not be linked to the National Identity Register, nor are there plans for data-sharing between them.

In relation to questions (86892 and 86891), the Children Act 2004 provides that records of children and young people will remain on the index until they reach age 18. There is also provision for records of young people who receive additional services—for example care leavers and those with learning
24 July 2006 : Column 844W
disabilities—to remain on the index, with their consent, up to age 25 in order to provide continued support in the transition to adult services. We will be consulting over the autumn on draft regulations that will, among other issues, propose a period of time during which records will be kept in a secure archive before permanent destruction.

Children, young people, and parents when acting on their behalf, have rights under the Data Protection Act to see the data that is held about them on the index and to request that incorrect data is corrected or removed.

In relation to question (86902), the Information Sharing Index is a central database containing a basic record on all children in England, with contact details of practitioners working with them. There will be no case information on the index record. The Integrated Children’s System (ICS) is not a database. ICS is a framework that provides a set of principles for case record management by local practitioners working with individual children in need (as defined under the Children Act 1989) and looked-after children. ICS is not itself an IT system, but it is IT-enabled to help practitioners carry out their key tasks effectively.

In relation to question (86978), section 12 of the Children Act 2004, and affirmative resolution regulations to be made under section 12, will set out the information that must or may be included on the index and specify the types of practitioner whose role would make it appropriate for them to have access. Consultation on the draft regulations will run over the autumn.

Examinations

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils under the age of 18 years sat (a) SATs (b) GCSEs, (c) GNVQs and (d) A-levels in each year since 1997. [86446]

Jim Knight [holding answer 20 July 2006]: The information required is in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 845W

24 July 2006 : Column 846W
Pupils under the age of 18 entered for tests or exams
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Key Stage1( 1)

Reading task(2)

589.2

604.1

603.7

583.0

581.4

568.6

557.9

Reading test(3)

488.3

499.8

512.3

503.9

505.2

495.3

487.6

Writing task(2)

572.0

585.6

587.4

569.0

570.0

558.5

545.2

Key Stage 2( 4)

English

546.5

568.7

593.9

589.0

601.0

608.9

604.8

580.5

579.8

Mathematics

553.2

574.6

599.4

595.2

606.5

613.7

609.1

585.5

584.6

Science

554.2

577.2

602.5

598.3

610.4

619.2

617.3

594.0

592.0

Key Stage 3( 4)

English

491.2

500.1

524.0

527.9

539.7

561.4

551.6

544.7

569.0

Mathematics

520.0

518.9

543.2

550.7

565.0

582.5

579.2

586.0

595.1

Science

514.4

519.0

542.9

548.5

559.9

578.3

578.0

582.8

595.0

GCSE

551.6

545.1

553.3

554.1

577.4

581.5

597.3

618.2

618.1

GNVQ

3.7

7.0

11.7

14.2

9.3

64.5

123.7

67.0

79.6

GCE/VCE A-level

231.3

236.0

236.0

231.4

241.0

257.9

268.7

265.3

263.6

(1) The 2004 and 2005 figures have not been made available as they are not directly comparable to figures prior to and including 2003. This is to reflect the following:
in 2004 a trial took place in which some local authorities (LAs) were asked to only submit teacher assessments to the Department, and the remaining LAs continued to submit both.
in 2005, for the first time, schools were only required to report teacher assessments.
(2) Figures are calculated as pupils eligible for assessment less those who were absent (A), disapplied (D) and “working towards” level 1 (W).
(3) Figures are calculated as pupils eligible for assessment less those who were absent (A), disapplied (D) and not require to be entered for the reading tests (X).
(4) Figures are calculated as pupils eligible for assessment less those who were absent (A), working below the level of the test (B) or disapplied/unable to access the test (A/T).

Foreign Language Teaching

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children are taught at least one foreign language. [87493]

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect data on the number of primary school children learning languages. However, in January 2005 the findings of Headspace, a survey of head teachers by Education Guardian and Edcoms, indicated that 56 per cent. of all primary schools in England were planning for or implementing language learning programmes to their pupils, (b) In 2005, the percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 attempting any modern foreign language examination was 59 per cent. (375,300 pupils out the cohort of 633,400).

Further Education Colleges

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1984W, on further education colleges, from which providers’ prospectuses he found evidence of these types of courses. [86896]

Bill Rammell: Information about tarot card reading, stand-up comedy and various forms of cake decorating courses is available on the learndirect website (http://www.learndirect.co.uk/) or the London Floodlight website (http://www.floodlight.co.uk/). The websites provide course information plus details of those colleges and other providers which offer the course.

GCSE/A-levels

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students re-sat at least one examination at (a) GCSE and (b) A-level in each of the past five years. [86862]

Jim Knight: The information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many completed examination papers at (a) GCSE and (b) A-level were lost in each of the past five years. [86870]

Jim Knight: The National Assessment Agency (NAA) collected data on the number of GCSE, AS and A-level examination scripts missing on results day in 2004 and 2005; comparable data is not available for previous years. More than 20 million exam scripts circulated in summer 2005 across all awarding bodies. The number of scripts missing prior to marking was as follows:

Missing scripts
2004 2005

GCSE/GNVQ

Total for AQA, Edexcel and OCR

3,411

3,054

AS, A-Level and Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE)

Total for AQA, Edexcel and OCR

3,235

2,204


Gifted Pupils Register

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the creation of a gifted pupils’ register; and what assessment he has made of the merits of such a proposal. [86950]

Jim Knight: The National Register is a key part of our programme to support gifted and talented learners in our schools. The National Register will help schools to identify these learners, as requested in the Schools Census, including those aged 11-19 who are eligible for membership of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. It will enable schools and local authorities to target interventions where necessary to help pupils at risk of underachieving to fulfil their potential. We are also exploring whether higher education institutions might use data from the register to assist with their widening participation strategies.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Home Department on protection of children on the internet and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill. [85737]

Mr. Dhanda: My right hon. Friend and I have been informed of the content of discussions between DfES and Home Office officials and representatives of the industry about the provisions in the Bill for vetting chat
24 July 2006 : Column 847W
room moderators. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Police and Security wrote to the Moderation Sub Group of the Home Secretary's Taskforce for Child Protection on the Internet setting out the two Departments' response to the concerns raised by the group. Discussions are continuing with a view to clarifying how the requirements in the Bill will work alongside the “Good Practice Guidance for the Moderation of Interactive Services for Children”, which the taskforce published in November 2005. There is ongoing discussion at official level on matters arising from the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill which impact upon both Departments as and when they occur as well as a range of other areas concerning child protection on the internet. The taskforce child protection measures sub group have, for example, set up a working group, of which DfES is part, to look at the safety issues for children caused by the development and growth of social networking sites.

School Finance

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if his Department will take steps to ringfence schools spending to ensure the appropriate level of investment is allocated to providing ergonomic, height adjustable furniture in schools; and if he will make a statement. [87415]

Jim Knight: The Government believe that schools are best placed to decide how to deploy the resources available to them through their delegated budgets and allocations of devolved formula capital and to decide on the appropriate level of investment to maintain the fixtures and fittings of their schools, including ergonomic furniture.

School Sport

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a playing field or playground where students can practise sports and participate in physical education lessons; and how much land was in use as school playing fields in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [86872]

Jim Knight [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Data on areas of school playing fields and external spaces were supplied to my Department by local education authorities in 2001 and 2003. However, the completeness and quality of the data are not good enough accurately to assess the proportion of schools that have playing fields or playgrounds where students can practice sports and participate in physical education lessons. Nor can the data provide information on the total area of land in use as school playing fields.

Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act was introduced in October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields. Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools now need the Secretary of State’s consent before they can dispose of a playing field or any part of a playing field.


24 July 2006 : Column 848W

Since 1998, 175 applications to sell an area of school playing field capable of forming at least a small sports pitch have been approved. Of these, 73 related to playing fields at closed or closing schools. In every case the sale proceeds were used to provide new or improved sports or educational facilities.

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have toilets fitted with (i) hippos, (ii) cistern and flush controls and (iii) other water saving devices. [87376]

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on how many schools have fitted cistern displacement devices (such as hippos), cistern and flush controls and other water saving devices. Howeverthe Water Regulations (Water Regulations Advisory scheme 2005) require automatic controls to be fittedto all new or refurbished urinal flushing cisterns. Comprehensive guidance on the fitting of water saving devices in schools is available in a new free publication “Sustainable water management in schools(1)”.

    (1) Publication reference CIRIA W12, 66 pages, available for free download from http://www.ciria.org/downloads.htm

Sign Language

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which colleges offered a British Sign Language course for the academic years (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2006-07; which colleges expect to offer such a course in 2007-08; and what public funding supported or is planned to support such courses in each year. [86912]

Bill Rammell: Data on the particular courses offered by colleges are not held centrally. However, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) do hold information on which FE providers have at least one LSC-funded learner taking a British Sign Language course for 2003/04 (336 providers in total) and 2004/05 (312 providers). A list of these FE providers will be placed in the House of Commons Library. Full year figures for 2005/06 are not yet available as the academic year which spans 1 August to 31 July has not finished, but an initial list based on enrolments at 1 October 2005 will also be provided in the House Library. Full-year information for 2005/06 is likely to be available in December 2006.

FE college planning data for 2006/07 or 2007/08 at the level of individual courses are not required by the Learning and Skills Council. The Learning and Skills Council plans provision with FE providers at a higher and more aggregated level i.e. Full level 2 achievements, etc.

In 2004-05 the LSC funded 641,000 learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities at a cost of around £1.5 billion. Continuing investment in this provision remains a priority, which was confirmed in our 2006-07 Grant Letter to the LSC and the LSC has in turn made clear in their strategic planning guidance the priority it attaches to this provision.


24 July 2006 : Column 849W

Speech and Language Development

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what advisory support services (a) are provided by his Department and (b) the Department funds the voluntary and community sector which offer information and support to children identified as having communication disabilities; [87151]

(2) what assessment he has made of the merits of implementing a national delivery model for schools and other educational settings to support children's speech and language development; [87152]

(3) what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of speech and language skills in England; and if he will make a statement. [87153]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department does not itself provide advisory support services for children with communication disabilities. We have however published a detailed information booklet for parents on speech and language difficulties under our Early Support Programme and we continue to look for opportunities to work in collaboration with relevant voluntary sector organisations. We have, for example, given grants for particular projects to the Association For All Speech Impaired Children (AFASIC), I CAN, the Aiding Communication in Education Centres and the Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA).

The Primary and Secondary National Strategies provide a range of support and guidance to schools and childcare settings on the teaching of English and the development of speaking and listening skills, including frameworks to help teachers meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. The primary framework for teaching literacy is currently being revised, and we are developing a statutory framework for care and learning for children aged between birth and five—the Early Years Foundation Stage. Both of these documents will emphasise the importance of supporting children’s development of speaking and listening skills from an early age. We have also rolled out a national training programme—Communicating Matters—for practitioners in early years settings, dealing specifically with children’s language acquisition. This training, which relates closely to the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage, includes a module focused on support for children with additional needs.

Speech and language skills are assessed by teachers on an ongoing basis in all key stages including the Foundation stage. Speaking and listening is an explicit element of the overall subject level for English and it is reported within the overall subject level for English at the end of each key stage; it is not reported separately. In the Foundation Stage, it is reported within communication, language and literacy in the Foundation Stage Profile.

The Department has also indirectly assessed levels of speech and language development in Sure Start Local Programme areas to monitor progress towards its targets in this area. This has been collected using the Sure Start Language Measure Research Association (SSLM), a parental report tool used to measure change in the language skills of two year old children in Sure Start Communities. SSLM data collected by Sure Start
24 July 2006 : Column 850W
local programmes has shown that between 2001-02 and 2004-05 the proportion of children in Sure Start areas with a high word count score at age two and whose parents were not worried about their development rose from 70 per cent. to 74 per cent.

Student Finance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of graduates were paying back income-contingent student loans in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [84697]

Bill Rammell: Borrowers enter repayment status in the April after they leave their course as they are in principle, eligible to repay their loans. However, borrowers only make repayments when they are earning over £15,000 and those earning less are not required to make any repayments.

The following table shows the number in repayment status and the numbers who made a repayment in each financial year. Full data is not yet available for more recent financial years.

Financial year
2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 2000-01

Total in repayment status

568,500

298,300

100,000

35,500

Total who made a repayment(1)

270,900

132,600

42,600

14,500

Percentage making a repayment

48

44

43

41

(1 )Figures include those who made a repayment but who are not in repayment status.
Note:
Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.

The repayment system is still relatively young. The table shows an increasing proportion repaying each year as older cohorts earn more and pass the threshold. However, full cohorts did not enter repayment until 2002-03 onwards. These larger, new cohorts have a negative impact on the percentage repaying compared to the positive impact of the older, but smaller, cohorts. This ‘drag’ affect will become less evident as more cohorts move into repayment and the system reaches a steady state.

Student Loans

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimates he has made of the average time graduates in each year since 1990 will take to pay off (a) mortgage style student loans and (b) income contingent student loans; and if he will make a statement. [86072]

Bill Rammell: The currently estimated average times for loans to be fully repaid are (a) around eight years for mortgage-style loans and (b) around 13 years for income-contingent loans. There is no evidence available to suggest that there is any difference in time taken to repay between particular borrower cohort years.


24 July 2006 : Column 851W

In both cases, the average number of years is counted from the statutory repayment due date, which is the April following the year of graduation.

Sure Start

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places are available on Sure Start schemes in Swindon; and what percentage of eligible children are on each scheme. [86637]

Beverley Hughes: There are three Sure Start children’s centres up and running in Swindon offering services, including 56 child care places, to 2,739(1 )children under five and their families. These build on the earlier Sure Start Local Programme set up in 2001 to offer services to 804 children under four. Information on numbers using children’s centres’ services is not available yet, however information for the month of March, 2005 (the latest available) shows 28 per cent.(2) of children in Swindon had significant contact (that is, a home visit or attendance at a centre-based activity) with the Penhill and Pinehurst Sure Start programme.

    (1) 2,739 children include 804 children previously served by the1 SSLP in Swindon that has become a children’s centre.

    (2 ) Source:

    Sure Start Local Programme data returns March 2005.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have participated in Sure Start schemes in each constituency since its introduction. [87377]

Beverley Hughes: The information requested by constituency is not collected centrally. Between 1999-2003, 524 Sure Start local programmes were approved to deliver services to 400,000 children aged under 4 and their families in disadvantaged areas. The latest information available (for March 2005) shows an average of 23 per cent. of children had significant contact (that is a home visit or at a centre based activity) with their local Sure Start programme. We expect all of these to become children’s centres providing services to children aged under 5 and their families. The first children’s centres were approved in 2003. By the end of September 2006 we expect children’s centre services to be offering services to 893,977 children. By March 2008 we expect this to rise to 2,132,279 children across England, including all those living in the 30 per cent. most deprived areas.

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what interpretation and translation service provision his Department makes for people (a) visiting his Department, (b) telephoning his Department and (c) visiting his Department's website. [87379]

Mr. Dhanda: The procedure for visitors and telephone calls is to use the DfES internal network services. The network provides information on officers who are native or fluent in a language and can be called upon when required.


24 July 2006 : Column 852W

The Department provides official languages for its website in association with official language bodies. It does not provide translation in any other language at present. It should be noted however that our website is being moved in 2007 to a new technical infrastructure that will allow multiple language capability.

DfES operates a Welsh Language scheme in accordance with section 21(3) of the Welsh Language Act 1993. Although the Department has limited responsibilities in Wales, any telephone helplines, or similar facility we set up to give information, services or support in Wales, to the public, we would provide a Welsh language service.

Truancy

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the levels of truancy in secondary schools in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [85944]

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold data on pupils recorded as truant. However, the figures for the proportion of half days missed due to unauthorised absence (of which truancy forms a part) in maintained mainstream secondary schools in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997 are given in the table as follows:

Percentage of half days missed in maintained mainstream secondary schools( 1 ) due to unauthorised absence( 2)
Rural areas Non-rural areas

1997/98

0.6

1.2

1998/99

0.6

1.1

1999/2000

0.6

1.1

2000/01

0.7

1.0

2001/02

0.64

1.16

2002/03

0.64

1.14

2003/04

0.70

1.20

2004/05

0.76

1.31

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(2) Figures are only available to 1 decimal place prior to 2001/02.

Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Tuition Fees

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster are exempt from tuition fees. [87636]

Bill Rammell: The number of students in Barnsley and Doncaster local authority making no contribution to their tuition fees in 2004/05 was 970 and 1,430(1) respectively.

Students on full-time undergraduate courses and their families are expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their tuition based on household income. Students from lower income backgrounds are wholly or partially exempt from paying tuition fees.


24 July 2006 : Column 853W

From 2006/07 upfront fees are abolished and full-time students will be eligible for tuition fee loans of up to £3,000. In addition, we expect around 30 per cent. of students to receive a maximum maintenance grant of £2,700 and an HE institution bursary of at least £300. Overall, we expect around half of all eligible students to receive at least some maintenance grant.

    (1) Numbers rounded to the nearest 10 students.

Under-25s

Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people under the age of 25 years were not in education, employment or training in (a) Hyndburn and (b) England in (i) the last year for which figures are available and (ii) 1997. [86234]

Mr. Dhanda: The following table shows the percentage of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training for Hyndburn constituency, Lancashire LEA and England. Figures are for 2004 and are the latest available; figures for 1997 are not available.

Geographic area Percentage of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training, 2004( 1)

Hyndburn

16

Lancashire

12

England

14

(1) To reduce the margin of error, figures have been produced by combining information from the Local Labour Force Survey for 2002, 2003 and 2004. However, sample sizes for Hyndburn and Lancashire are still small and are subject to sampling variability. Care should be taken when interpreting the figures.

24 July 2006 : Column 854W

University Admissions

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from university admissions tutors on the relative value of A-levels and the International Baccalaureate in admission assessments; and if he will make a statement. [85961]

Bill Rammell [holding answer 18 July 2006]: I am not aware of any such representations. Higher education institutions are autonomous organisations and are entirely responsible for their own admission assessments, entry requirements, and decisions.

University Staffing Costs

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the staffing costs were of each (a) university and (b) former polytechnic in(i) 1976-77, (ii) 1979-80, (iii) 1985-86, (iv) 1996-97, (v) 1997-98, (vi) 2001-02 and (vii) 2004-05; and how many full-time equivalent students there were at each university in each year. [85290]

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the following tables. Information for the former polytechnics for the years prior to 1996-97 is not held centrally. Figures for 1979-80 were not published; figures for 1978-79 are given instead.


24 July 2006 : Column 855W

24 July 2006 : Column 856W
Expenditure on total staff costs and student full-time equivalent numbers Universities in England
1976/77 1978/79 1985/86
Institution name Staffing costs (£000) Full-time equivalent student load Staffing costs (£000) Full-time equivalent student load Staffing costs (£000) Full-time equivalent student load

Aston

6,483

5,076

9,110

5,554

14,329

3,599

Bath

4,456

3,734

6,335

3,835

15,722

3,799

Birmingham

16,739

8,527

20,124

8,975

48,439

8,939

Bradford

6,553

4,553

8,650

4,994

16,410

4,436

Bristol

12,548

6,746

16,028

6,804

38,395

7,099

Brunel

4,286

2,642

5,567

2,898

15,026

3,196

Cambridge

18,896

11,633

25,196

11,968

61,614

12,567

City

4,720

2,546

6,056

2,977

14,305

3,326

Durham

5,045

4,278

6,670

4,269

17,643

4,996

East Anglia

4,155

3,507

5,808

3,883

16,213

4,383

Essex

3,036

2,523

4,024

2,860

10,834

3,082

Exeter

4,932

4,333

6,844

5,165

15,825

4,943

Hull

5,157

4,616

6,804

5,227

15,318

4,862

Keele

3,158

2,725

4,125

2,983

8,715

2,759

Kent

3,732

3,329

5,035

3,868

12,149

4,230

Lancaster

4,871

4,232

6,742

4,610

16,095

4,530

Leeds

16,317

10,058

20,990

10,451

52,903

10,374

Leicester

6,140

4,214

8,174

4,478

22,330

4,729

Liverpool

12,616

7,656

16,208

7,859

39,631

8,144

London Graduate School of Business Studies

883

327

1,116

334

3,070

363

London University

103,830

42,922

133,518

45,333

329,325

44,908

Loughborough

5,325

4,001

8,059

5,284

23,045

5,295

Manchester Business School

740

143

948

144

2,656

259

Manchester University

18,895

10,765

24,706

11,385

55,337

11,539

Manchester Institute of Science and Technology

7,295

3,874

9,711

3,899

26,996

4,019

Newcastle

11,988

6,915

15,716

7,610

38,754

7,769

Nottingham

10,199

6,359

13,741

6,704

34,485

7,364

Oxford

20,259

12,503

27,296

12,946

68,695

13,139

Reading

8,356

5,435

10,695

5,972

24,413

5,563

Salford

6,231

4,545

7,874

4,714

16,764

4,143

Sheffield

12,300

7,702

15,736

7,996

35,416

7,960

Southampton

10,748

5,805

14,710

6,119

36,235

6,502

Surrey

5,095

3,069

6,537

3,542

19,629

3,336

Sussex

7,133

4,251

8,693

4,274

18,370

4,532

Warwick

4,770

4,203

7,459

5,099

23,431

5,697

York

3,884

2,918

5,203

3,216

13,220

3,606

Source:
University Grants Committee.


24 July 2006 : Column 857W

24 July 2006 : Column 858W

24 July 2006 : Column 859W

24 July 2006 : Column 860W
Expenditure on total staff costs and student full-time equivalent numbers Universities, former Polytechnics and University Colleges in England
Expenditure (£000)( 1) Student FTE numbers( 2)
Institution 1996/97 1997/98 2001/02 2004/05 1996/97 1997/98 2001/02 2004/05

0047

Anglia Ruskin University

35,325

34,593

49,083

54,321

14,020

13,805

17,555

18,330

0108

Aston University

22,415

24,060

31,178

42,011

4,670

5,070

5,920

6,880

0048

Bath Spa University

8,002

8,467

11,388

16,455

2,560

2,920

3,930

5,335

0109

The University of Bath

41,169

42,790

58,270

72,411

6,390

6,735

8,525

10,380

0127

Birkbeck College

19,335

18,886

28,904

37,839

6,500

6,385

6,880

7,060

0110

The University of Birmingham

115,107

114,025

154,316

181,401

17,530

17,835

21,765

23,100

0049

The University of Bolton

15,944

16,694

16,664

22,766

5,335

5,250

4,770

4,920

0050

Bournemouth University

21,072

21,567

31,106

38,871

9,250

9,540

11,105

12,100

0111

The University of Bradford

39,383

39,629

44,745

51,696

8,340

8,600

8,105

8,795

0051

The University of Brighton

37,642

38,468

49,000

62,081

12,565

12,940

14,420

15,350

0112

The University of Bristol

99,949

101,727

129,578

165,195

12,055

11,940

14,260

15,715

0113

Brunel University

43,502

43,484

51,925

61,817

11,535

12,040

11,695

12,540

0009

Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College

17,687

18,538

24,230

30,024

7,190

6,995

7,320

7,125

0203

The University of Buckingham

575

0114

The University of Cambridge

151,581

159,109

227,791

334,764

16,010

15,990

18,015

18,395

0012

Canterbury Christ Church University

17,927

19,366

27,862

40,702

7,025

7,220

9,305

10,365

0052

University of Central England in Birmingham

44,911

45,842

58,509

74,183

17,845

17,200

16,735

17,925

0053

The University of Central Lancashire

38,788

37,109

56,738

77,228

14,490

14,900

17,220

19,365

0129

Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School

21,308

970

0011

University of Chester

10,193

10,392

15,581

29,621

3,540

3,530

5,330

7,750

0082

University of Chichester

7,173

8,293

9,514

12,861

3,110

3,915

3,605

4,100

0115

City University

39,223

40,580

55,117

74,446

7,395

7,730

10,210

12,870

0056

Coventry University

37,133

38,868

50,942

60,044

13,080

13,800

13,470

13,530

0002

Cranfield University

50,524

50,424

63,850

71,515

2,455

2,590

2,720

2,985

0068

De Montfort University

63,475

63,619

68,347

74,807

20,305

20,110

19,235

18,690

0057

University of Derby

25,449

26,481

37,742

43,841

10,540

11,025

10,070

10,885

0116

University of Durham

52,847

54,589

72,872

93,288

10,495

10,445

12,000

14,200

0117

The University of East Anglia

40,935

42,328

56,657

72,599

5,385

9,420

9,075

11,095

0058

The University of East London

34,129

33,040

38,244

46,792

10,040

10,065

10,430

12,190

0118

The University of Essex

29,742

30,209

41,217

54,506

5,500

5,805

6,980

8,440

0119

The University of Exeter

44,306

42,906

53,238

77,711

8,730

8,855

9,805

11,350

0017

University College Falmouth

3,241

3,516

5,769

8,353

1,045

1,115

1,425

1,895

0054

University of Gloucestershire

17,288

17,059

21,985

28,842

5,935

5,730

7,515

6,635

0131

Goldsmiths College

20,328

21,200

28,289

32,960

5,145

5,565

5,870

5,875

0059

The University of Greenwich

51,394

51,275

55,969

58,673

13,215

13,375

13,900

16,175

0018

Harper Adams University College

5,068

5,341

7,297

8,863

1,530

1,535

1,610

1,425

0060

University of Hertfordshire

44,822

45,304

58,530

73,777

14,225

15,000

15,775

19,325

0061

The University of Huddersfield

31,532

31,206

40,605

46,393

12,035

13,225

12,935

13,360

0120

The University of Hull

44,671

45,849

58,012

68,444

9,530

9,440

12,555

13,365

0132

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

121,073

179,096

220,671

268,439

7,715

9,605

10,540

11,595

0133

Institute of Education

14,085

14,905

21,213

28,673

2,270

2,290

2,310

2,970

2001

Institute of Psychiatry (associated with King’s College London)

16,997

355

0121

The University of Keele

31,489

31,690

40,749

49,150

7,935

8,415

7,255

7,850

0122

The University of Kent

39,991

39,347

47,323

58,893

8,105

7,905

9,975

12,215

0134

King’s College London

85,974

109,074

201,075

225,984

11,225

11,895

15,690

17,200

0063

Kingston University

42,362

42,540

55,450

72,477

12,015

11,930

13,895

16,755

0123

The University of Lancaster

44,231

40,978

52,603

69,903

8,345

8,455

9,200

10,825

0064

Leeds Metropolitan University

43,786

42,496

63,450

83,788

14,005

15,105

17,120

20,770

0124

The University of Leeds

129,829

130,309

175,116

213,023

20,775

21,225

25,510

28,655

0125

The University of Leicester

62,721

64,689

84,422

103,176

11,145

11,195

12,640

12,365

0062

The University of Lincoln

23,878

23,131

31,391

35,504

11,995

11,830

9,585

10,175

0023

Liverpool Hope University

10,728

11,351

16,118

22,249

3,705

4,105

5,910

6,030

0065

Liverpool John Moores University

51,405

52,196

60,352

77,552

15,105

16,270

16,925

17,930

0126

The University of Liverpool

92,843

94,865

118,847

143,661

13,735

13,665

15,595

16,825

0024

University of the Arts, London

39,903

41,693

55,476

73,314

8,415

8,320

9,845

11,760

0135

London Business School

14,634

15,135

27,645

37,167

870

940

1,315

1,655

0151

University of London (institutes and activities)

54,310

55,908

41,336

47,718

1,145

955

700

305

0055

London Guildhall University

23,825

23,377

32,935

9,165

9,805

10,130

0202

London Metropolitan University

92,354

20,645

0076

London South Bank University

47,213

47,353

58,650

62,294

14,560

16,390

13,825

13,810

0137

London School of Economics and Political Science

34,243

36,226

56,609

72,745

6,310

8,310

6,725

7,520

0138

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

16,511

16,956

25,956

30,377

930

640

770

800

0152

Loughborough University

53,532

55,124

71,069

87,271

9,325

9,665

11,280

13,070

0026

University of Luton

27,248

23,738

28,685

24,688

11,820

13,325

8,365

8,110

0153

University of Manchester

139,582

142,790

181,833

20,910

20,890

22,270

0165

The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology

47,631

49,238

63,179

6,850

6,860

6,465

0066

The Manchester Metropolitan University

73,247

73,406

82,828

102,994

25,045

24,975

24,690

27,080

0204

The University of Manchester

311,796

32,525

0067

Middlesex University

46,332

48,262

61,801

71,575

18,595

18,715

17,790

20,920

0154

The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

92,946

93,190

127,992

142,721

12,655

12,950

14,770

16,635

0070

The University of North London

31,556

32,193

41,112

11,610

11,660

11,975

0027

The University of Northampton

22,738

23,362

26,740

33,446

8,015

8,880

9,210

8,640

0069

The University of Northumbria at Newcastle

55,965

53,775

70,485

83,077

15,690

16,085

17,930

19,740

0071

The Nottingham Trent University

56,895

57,686

73,169

84,605

21,585

21,420

21,655

22,770

0155

The University of Nottingham

106,574

108,897

147,037

186,114

15,330

15,645

20,465

24,715

0001

The Open University

121,001

119,270

175,537

197,976

63,335

57,710

66,185

64,130

0072

Oxford Brookes University

35,811

36,629

53,868

70,095

9,520

10,035

12,165

14,450

0156

The University of Oxford

153,306

158,426

209,869

268,808

16,000

16,250

17,100

18,400

0073

The University of Plymouth

48,823

49,438

66,427

80,434

17,275

17,480

18,875

21,410

0074

The University of Portsmouth

48,935

48,941

53,745

70,720

14,140

15,010

14,875

17,915

0139

Queen Mary and Westfield College

78,455

76,344

87,665

106,077

7,485

7,805

8,190

9,865

0157

The University of Reading

65,302

66,597

81,270

93,194

10,525

10,195

10,795

11,095

0031

Roehampton University

18,670

18,464

24,035

28,100

5,530

5,880

6,305

7,260

0140

Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine

19,273

20,334

685

710

0141

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College

27,996

28,752

37,975

47,858

5,115

5,575

5,390

6,630

0142

Royal Postgraduate Medical School

30,671

295

0143

The Royal Veterinary College

9,924

10,346

14,852

21,250

620

640

865

1,285

0145

St. George’s Hospital Medical School

28,814

29,744

39,568

44,443

1,365

1,230

1,890

2,365

0158

The University of Salford

57,039

56,615

68,509

83,573

13,760

14,760

16,610

16,220

0146

The School of Oriental and African Studies

16,173

17,227

21,592

26,731

2,575

2,660

3,220

3,555

0147

The School of Pharmacy

4,613

4,754

5,966

8,721

575

580

730

930

0075

Sheffield Hallam University

61,893

57,315

75,775

91,132

19,980

19,265

21,900

22,755

0159

The University of Sheffield

106,958

112,319

143,339

183,631

20,320

19,625

20,965

22,340

0037

Southampton Solent University

25,245

25,870

33,010

34,050

13,750

11,500

9,630

9,490

0160

The University of Southampton

87,938

93,325

127,332

166,246

13,030

14,565

16,305

19,090

0077

Staffordshire University

35,762

35,309

44,811

48,601

12,870

13,025

12,580

10,820

0078

The University of Sunderland

31,284

32,256

39,539

45,613

12,270

12,155

10,060

11,620

0161

The University of Surrey

49,139

52,876

69,028

90,740

7,300

7,695

8,715

9,870

0162

The University of Sussex

42,522

42,991

53,808

68,471

8,965

8,535

9,120

9,210

0079

The University of Teesside

28,533

29,397

38,253

51,413

10,090

9,820

11,120

12,525

0080

Thames Valley University

35,109

34,967

36,530

68,785

15,155

13,325

12,130

13,690

0148

United Medical and Dental Schools, Guy’s and St. Thomas’s Hospitals

49,898

49,560

2,220

2,270

0149

University College London

177,929

185,224

273,137

325,512

13,475

13,860

15,300

17,190

0163

The University of Warwick

71,865

74,440

99,539

145,850

12,200

11,925

13,645

16,150

0081

University of the West of England, Bristol

55,809

54,769

72,633

89,741

19,265

19,750

20,330

23,020

0083

The University of Westminster

37,651

38,440

54,933

71,835

12,670

13,045

14,805

15,960

0021

The University of Winchester

9,258

9,430

10,486

14,158

3,965

4,125

3,950

3,955

0085

The University of Wolverhampton

45,697

45,473

55,332

71,199

16,485

17,995

15,855

16,265

0046

University of Worcester

9,110

10,025

12,502

18,175

3,195

3,395

4,435

5,030

0164

The University of York

44,395

46,345

65,092

87,240

6,680

7,115

9,145

9,685

Notes:
— indicates:
No separate finance record was collected for that institution in that year.
No Student Record was collected separately for that institution in that year.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency’s Finance and Student records 1996-97,1997-98,2001-02, 2004-05
Students ftes have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Visual Impairment

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what support is provided by his Department for partially-sighted and blind pupils in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) further and (d) higher education; [86542]

(2) how much funding has been allocated by his Department for the provision of appropriate literature and equipment for partially-sighted and blind students in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) further and (d) higher education in (i) Somerset and (ii) England in each year since 1997. [86543]

Mr. Dhanda: The special educational needs (SEN) code of practice provides advice to local authorities and schools on their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for children who have special educational needs, including children who are blindor partially sighted. The code sets out a graduated approach to providing support. Many children who are blind or partially sighted will have statements of SEN. All statements are reviewed at least annually. The purpose of the review is to consider a child’s progress, to ensure they are achieving desired outcomes and, if necessary, to amend their statements to reflect newly identified needs and provision.

Children with SEN, including those who are blind or partially sighted, benefited from the substantial increase of £1,170 in the funding per pupil from £2,940 in 1997-98 to £4,110 per pupil in 2005-06 (a rise of nearly 40 per cent.) and from the increase in local authorities’ budgeted expenditure on the education of children with SEN from £2.8 billion in 2001-02 to £4.5 billion in 2006-07. £300 million was also made available from 2003-04 through the schools access initiative to improve access to mainstream schools for disabled pupils. Recently a further £100 million per annum has been announced for both 2006-07 and 2007-08. Funds can be used for improving physical access, including adaptations for sensory disability such as improved colour schemes; access to the curriculum; access to written information in alternative formats. This encompasses information, communication technology equipment (both hardware and software).

Decisions about the support provided for children in Somerset are a matter for the local authority, taking into account its statutory duties.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has a responsibility under the Learning and Skills Act to support young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including learners with visual impairments. Overall, in 2004/05 the LSC supported more than 640,000 learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities which accounted for nearly £1.5 billion.

Disabled students’ allowances (DSAs) are available to help students in higher education with the extra costs they may incur on their course as a direct result of a disability (or specific learning difficulty).

DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package; they are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.

In academic year 2004/05 (the latest for which figures are available) 64,200(1 )DSAs were awarded in England and Wales totalling £74.1 million. In addition there were over 2,600 OU students with DSAs worth around £3.5 million.

    (1) The total number of students in receipt of DSAs involves an element of double-counting since a student can have more than one allowance.


24 July 2006 : Column 861W

York Schools

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much capital expenditure there has been on schools which come under York local education authority in each year since 1986. [86524]

Jim Knight: Records are not maintained centrally of local authority capital expenditure on schools, as this is decided in accordance with local asset management plans and will depend upon local authorities’ total sources of available funding. The Department has maintained records of capital allocations to local authorities for schools since 1996, and those for York city council and schools in its area are set out in the following table:


24 July 2006 : Column 862W
£ million

1996-97

0.8

1997-98

1.3

1998-99

1.8

1999-2000

4.5

2000-01

7.4

2001-02

4.8

2002-03

25.5

2003-04

9.7

2004-05

9.4

2005-06

8.7

2006-07

28.3


The large allocations in 2002-03 and 2006-07 result, respectively, from a PFI allocation of £15.4 million and successful Targeted Capital Fund bids of £22.2 million.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much per child was spent on (a) (i) pre-school, (ii) primary school and (iii) 11 to 16-year-old secondary school pupils in York schools and (b) sixth formers (A) in York schools and (B) at York College in each year since 1996-97 (1) in cash and (2) at current prices. [86525]

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold any comparable expenditure information for pre primary pupils and it is not possible to distinguish figures for sixth formers from 11 to 16-year-old secondary pupils. The Department does not collect figures for York College. The available information is contained in the following tables:

School based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,4,5 ) and combined local authority and school based expenditure per pupil( 1,6 ) since 1996-97( 7,8,9)
£ cash terms( 10,11)
Primary school based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,4) Pre-primary and primary school based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,4) Secondary school based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,5) Combined LA and school based expenditure per pupil( 1,6)

1996-97

1,540

2,210

2,500

1997-98(7)

1,600

2,350

2,590

1998-99(7)

1,730

2,460

2,690

1999-2000(8,9)

1,760

1,800

2,430

2,710

2000-01

1,860

1,870

2,640

2,850

2001-02

2,180

2,260

2,830

3,130

2002-03

2,390

3,080

3,270

2003-04

2,560

3,330

3,740

2004-05

2,680

3,660

3,900



24 July 2006 : Column 863W

24 July 2006 : Column 864W
£ real terms (2005-06 prices)( 10,11,12)
Primary school based expenditure perpupil( 1,2,3,4) Pre-primary and primary school based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,4) Secondary school based expenditure per pupil( 1,2,3,5) Combined LA and school based expenditure per pupil( 1,6)

1996-97

1,920

2,760

3,110

1997-98(7)

1,940

2,840

3,130

1998-99(7)

2,040

2,900

3,170

1999-2000(8,9)

2,030

2,080

2,810

3,130

2000-01

2,120

2,130

3,010

3,250

2001-02

2,430

2,510

3,150

3,480

2002-03

2,580

3,330

3,530

2003-04

2,680

3,490

3,920

2004-05

2,740

3,740

3,980

(1) The expenditure data to 1998-99 are drawn from the annual ‘RO1’ spending returns which local authorities submitted to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. Figures for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 are drawn from section 52 (table 3) outturn statements which local authorities submitted to the DfES. Figures for 2002-03 onwards are taken from section 52 (table A) outturn statements. The change in sources is shown by the blank rows.
(2) School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by local authority maintained schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. The pupil data are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
(3) From 2002-03 onwards the school based expenditure calculation is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001-02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses, while from 2002-03 only the schools element of these categories is included. In 2001-02 this accounted for approximately £70 per pupil of the England total, while the schools element of these categories accounted for approximately £50 per pupil of the England total in 2002-03. Also, for some LAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LA part of the form from 2002-03 and would therefore be excluded from the school based expenditure calculation, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources.
(4) Figures for the primary sector alone were not available until the inception of section 52 in financial year 1999-2000. The pre-primary figures are not sufficiently robust to use in this reply.
(5) Secondary school based expenditure includes all expenditure incurred directly by local authority maintained secondary schools. It is not possible from existing sources to distinguish this expenditure between expenditure on 11 to 16-year-olds and expenditure on 6th form pupils attending maintained secondary schools.
(6) Combined local authority and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in local authority maintained establishments and pupils educated by the authority other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under fives funded by the authority and being educated in private settings (only available from 1999-2000), pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and any other local authority maintained pupils. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
(7) Spending in 1997-98 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central Government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998-99.
(8) Figures prior to 1999-2000 exclude any expenditure on service, strategy and regulation.
(9) The expenditure data for 1999-2000 onwards reflect the return of grant maintained schools to local authority maintenance.
(10) ‘—’denotes figures are not available or have not been scored on a consistent basis
(11) Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
(12) Cash figures are converted to 2005-06 prices using the 30 June 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) deflators.
Note:
As reported by York local authority as at 17 July 2006.

Prime Minister

Casinos

Mr. Swire: To ask the Prime Minister (1) when (a) he and (b) his officials have held meetings in the last 12 months with casino operators interested in securing licences under the Gambling Act 2005; where each meeting took place; and what was discussed; [83362]

(2) what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with (i) Mr. Philip Anschutz and (ii) representatives of Anschutz Entertainment Group; [84905]

(3) what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with Anschutz Entertainment Group on its development of the millennium dome site and surrounding land. [84906]

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will list the meetings he has had with representatives of the Anschutz Entertainment Group and associated companies since 1997; [85660]

(2) what meetings he has had with (a) casino developers, (b) representatives of Kerzner International and (c) representatives of the Anschutz Entertainment Group in the last five years. [86852]

The Prime Minister: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

I also refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 10 November 2004, Official Report, column 696W.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 6 June about whaling and global warming. [87934]

The Prime Minister: My Office had no record of receiving this correspondence at the time this question was tabled. However, my Office has since received copies of the letters. These have been forwarded to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for reply.


24 July 2006 : Column 865W

Declaration of War (Parliamentary Vote)

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister whether it is his policy that in future the House will be asked to vote before the UK declares war on another country; and if he will make a statement. [87599]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 15 February 2006, Official Report, column 2033W.

Gifts

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Prime Minister where he purchased the sweater recently given as a gift to the President of the United States; how much the item cost; and where it was made. [87265]

The Prime Minister: It would not be appropriate to disclose this information.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to Paragraph B of the Government's Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual Report 2005-06, Cm 6865, what arrangements are in place under the Joint Intelligence Committee Chairman which are intended to ensure the opportunity for challenge and dissent at all levels across the intelligence community. [87535]

The Prime Minister: At each stage in the preparation of Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) Assessments (the drafting of a paper, its consideration by the Current Intelligence Group, its review prior to circulation to the JIC, in discussion at JIC itself), there is careful testing of assumptions, inferences and judgements and encouragement of active debate about them. The challenge function within the Assessments staff itself has been strengthened.

Middle East

Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he (a) has made and (b) plans to make to the (i) Government of Lebanon, (ii) Government of Syria, (iii) Government of Iran and (iv) United Nations about the honouring of the agreement brokered by the United Nations to protect the Northern Border of the state of Israel; and if he will make a statement. [87340]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 18 July 2006, Official Report, columns 151-54, and to the debate in the House on International Affairs on 20 July 2006, Official Report, columns 510-67.

Millennium Dome

Mr. Swire: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with (a) the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to the sale of the millennium dome. [86021]


24 July 2006 : Column 866W

The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Prime Minister (1) when the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the sale of the millennium dome was (a) created and (b) dissolved; [85661]

(2) which Minister chaired the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the sale of the millennium dome. [85662]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the then Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Robin Corbett) on 19 December 2000, Official Report, column 108W. The Ministerial Group on the Millennium Dome (MISC10) was dissolved in September 2003.

Minister questioned by Police

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on informing the House when a Minister is questioned by the police in connection with a criminal inquiry. [86577]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my Official Spokesman on Friday 14 July. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Code

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make is his policy to strengthen the ministerial code to ensure that Ministers’ taxation declarations and assessments are up-to-date. [87588]

The Prime Minister: Ministers’ personal taxation declarations and assessments are subject to the same rules as other citizens.

Ministerial Payments

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to ensure that a public register is maintained of all ministerial payments to charity in respect of free or subsidised overnight accommodation which is made available to them or their families. [87586]

The Prime Minister: Hospitality received by Ministers, including when a charitable donation has been made, is declared in the Register of Members’ Interests as appropriate.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Swire: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he had (a) to visit America in July 2005 and (b) to visit Mr. Anschutz's ranch in Colorado. [86285]

The Prime Minister: None.


24 July 2006 : Column 867W

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Middle East. [87122]

The Prime Minister: For security reasons, my future engagements are announced as and when appropriate.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister which constituencies the Prime Minister has visited since 1997; and on how many occasions in each case. [88199]

The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 2 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1385-1387W.

Official Gifts

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister how (a) the Segway transporter, (b) jewellery, watches and costumery, (c) the electric Ferrari, (d) the two daggers, (e) wine and (f) the archaeological artefacts gifted to his Office by the State of Israel and listed on the Donated Asset Reserve are displayed. [87597]

The Prime Minister: The arrangements for the handling of gifts are set out in chapter 5 of the Ministerial Code.

Privy Council

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what the mechanism is by which Ministers may sponsor potential candidates for the Privy Council; and if he will make a statement. [87595]

The Prime Minister: I submit nominations to the Queen seeking her approval.

Red Tractor Day

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister who provided the tractor that the Prime Minister used to launch Red Tractor Day, in Downing Street on 20 April; and where it was manufactured. [87421]

The Prime Minister: The Red Tractor Day launch was organised by Assured Food Standards (AFS), who administer the Red Tractor logo.

Sir David Varney

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister whether he was consulted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the appointment of Sir David Varney as a senior adviser on Transformational Government. [88216]

The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.


25 July 2006 : Column 868W

Work and Pensions

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87051]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed on 8 June 2001 from parts of the former Department for Social Security, the former Department for Education and Employment, and the Employment Service. Information prior to 2001 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Department runs a number of promotional campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of rights and responsibilities. The dates and costs are given as follows.


25 July 2006 : Column 869W
(a) Dates of activity (b) Annual cost (£000)

Age Positive

2001-02

6

2002-03

706

2003-04

70

2004-05

29

Council Tax Benefit

2003-04

556

2004-05

674

Direct Payment

2002-03

858

2003-04

11,095

2004-05

8,379

Disability Discrimination Act

2001-02

2,882

2002-03

50

2003-04

40

2004-05

1,992

Future pensioners/Informed choice

2001-02

4,740

2002-03

2,878

IB Reforms Pilot

2003-04

113

2004-05

106

Inherited SERPS

2002-03

646

Jobcentre Plus Customer Marketing

2003-04

1,401

Jobseeker’s Direct

2003-04

1,632

Lone Parent Leaflet Promotion Marketing

2004-05

216

Minimum Income Guarantee

2000-01

3,365

National Employer Campaign

2003-04

1,158

National Vacancy Campaign

2004-05

390

New Deal

2003-04

5,678

New Deal 25 Plus

2001-02

613

New Deal for Disabled People

2001-02

350

New Deal for Musicians

2002-03

33

Pension Service Awareness

2003-04

906

Pension Credit

2003-04

9,907

2004-05

4,388

State Pension Deferral

2004-05

115

Second State Pension

2002-03

489

2003-04

216

Targeting Benefit Fraud

2001-02

8,039

2002-03

35

2003-04

8,383

2004-05

6,017

Winter Fuel Payments

2001-02

475

2002-03

627

2003-04

625

2004-05

515

Notes:
1. The table does not include the following as the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost. Spend by non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible details of highly localised publicity activity by the Department’s customer-facing businesses recruitment or procurement advertising.
2. The figures in the table refers to media spend only, excluding production and other costs.
3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. All figures are exclusive of VAT.

25 July 2006 : Column 870W

Age Positive Campaign

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent per head of population in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales on the Age Positive campaign in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; and how much has been spent in 2006-07. [78876]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The Age Positive campaign operates nationally, covering England, Scotland and Wales. Costs for Scotland and Wales are not available separately. The approximate spend on the campaign was £646,000 for 2004-05, £913,000 for 2005-06 and up to the end of May 2006 £94,000 for 2006-07.

The campaign is aimed at employers, not individuals, and aims to raise awareness amongst employers of the business benefits of employing older workers in a mixed age workforce. It is not appropriate therefore to express the amount spent on the campaign per head of population.

The funding has enabled attendance at regional, sector and national events and exhibitions, has sponsored a number of age diversity awards, provided support materials; and overall had helpful the campaign to generate media coverage estimated to be worth £11.8 million since January 2004.

Benefit Applications

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to improve the training received by health care professionals involved in the application process for benefit assessmentsin respect of (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other long-term fluctuating conditions. [86236]

Mrs. McGuire: All Medical Services doctors who carry out benefit assessments receive training in disability assessment medicine, which is constantly evaluated and improved. The training includes the need to take account of long-term fluctuating conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, and how these conditions affect a person over a period of time.

They are supported in their work by evidence-based protocols that provide up to date guidance on disabling conditions and their effects.

Doctors are also required to undertake continuing professional education on topics relevant to disability assessment.

Benefits

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas entitled to but not claiming state pension in each year since 1997; and what proportion this figure represents of all those entitled to state pension. [85924]

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. However, the proportion of pensioner units in receipt of some state pension income in Great Britain is shown in the table. The 2 per cent. without state pension income may include those not entitled as well as those deferring their state pension or misreporting their income when asked.


24 July 2006 : Column 871W
Percentage

1997-98

98

1998-99

98

1999-2000

98

2000-01

98

2001-02

98

2002-03

98

2003-04

98

2004-05

98

Notes:
1. Results are for all pensioner benefit units, where a pensioner couple is defined as a couple where the man is at or above state pension age.
2. State pension income includes income from other contributory benefits for the elderly including widows’ benefits and incapacity benefit.
3. Results are based on survey respondents’ identification of different elements of benefit income, and are therefore subject to misreporting.
Source:
Table 3.3, Pensioners Income Series 2004/05 which is based upon data from the Family Resources Survey.

24 July 2006 : Column 872W

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate (a) the total amount of (i) incapacity benefit, (ii) income support, (iii) jobseeker’s allowance, (iv) pension credit, (v) council tax benefit and (vi) housing benefit erroneously paid to prisoners in each year since 1997 and (b) the number of prisoners involved in each case. [77993]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available for incapacity benefit, council tax benefit, and housing benefit. The available information on the amount of income support, jobseeker’s allowance, and pension credit overpaid due to fraud or customer error is in the table.

There are no estimates available for how many prisoners would have been involved.

Estimates of benefit overpaid to prisoners through fraud or customer error
£ million
Incorrectness Income support Jobseeker’s allowance Pension credit

2004-05

Fraud

6

0

0

Customer error

0

1

0

2003-04

Fraud

2

0

0

Customer error

2

0

0

2002-03

Fraud

2

0

0

Customer error

0

0

0

Notes:
1. All overpayments estimates rounded to the nearest £1 million.
2. Estimates are based on sampling exercises. Benefit paid incorrectly to prisoners form a small proportion of total overpayments. Estimates for them are based on reviews of small numbers of cases and so are subject to large sampling errors and other uncertainties. Sampling uncertainty is expressed in the form of confidence intervals - these have not been provided in these tables.
3. Estimates for overpayments to prisoners were not reported separately for earlier years.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people entitled to but not claiming (a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit, (c) winter fuel payments, (d) disability living allowance, (e) incapacity benefit, (f) income support, (g) jobseeker’s allowance and (h) child support in each year since 1997-98, broken down by (i) rural areas and (ii) non-rural areas; what estimate he has made of the amount of unclaimed benefit in each case; and if he will make a statement. [84616]

Mr. Plaskitt: Estimates for the main income-related benefits—income support/minimum income guarantee, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and income-based jobseeker’s allowance—for eligible private household population in Great Britain, are available in the DWP report entitled “Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take- Up”. Copies of the latest publication, which describes patterns in take-up since 1997-98, together with past reports, are available in the Library.

Most people who qualify for a winter fuel payment do not need to make a claim because they are paid automatically from DWP records. Some people aged 60 or over who are not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP do need to claim. Many men aged 60-64, for example, fall into this category and need to claim. However, we do not have any estimate for how many eligible people have not claimed.

Currently it is not possible to estimate take-up rates for disability living allowance and attendance allowance. Following a recommendation in “Meeting DWP’s long-term information needs on disability: a feasibility report”, (DWP Research report number 267), the Department is commissioning research to test two possible approaches to establish whether it is possible to estimate take-up rates for these benefits. Results will be available in 2007.

No estimates are available for incapacity benefit.

Child support is not a benefit.


24 July 2006 : Column 873W

Carers Allowance

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of carer’s allowance in (a) Barnsley East and Mexborough, (b) Barnsley and (c) Doncaster. [86381]

Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer’s allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Terry Moran:

    You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of carer’s allowance in (a) Barnsley, East and Mexborough (b) Barnsley and (c) Doncaster.

    The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.

    The information requested is in the following table:

Carer’s allowance recipients as at November 2005
Number

Barnsley, East and Mexborough parliamentary constituency

1,130

Barnsley local authority

2,490

Doncaster local authority

3,240

Definitions and Conventions:
"-" nil or negligible;
"." not applicable;
Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and expressed in thousands. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Notes:
1. Only cases in payment are shown (those with underlying entitlement but not actually receiving payment have been excluded).
2. Government office region, local authorities and parliamentary constituencies have been allocated using the ONS postcode directory.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

    I hope you find the information helpful.

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people are in receipt of carer’s allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) Great Britain; and how many there were in each year since its inception; [85867]

(2) how many people over the age of 60 have been registered as carers in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [85868]

Mrs. McGuire: The administration of carer’s allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Terry Moran, dated 24 July 2006:

    You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people are in receipt of a Carer’s Allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK; and how many there were in each year since its inception; and (2) how many people over the age of 60 have been registered as carers in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.


24 July 2006 : Column 874W

    The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.

    You have kindly confirmed that your second question referred specifically to how many people over the age of 60 are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance in your constituency and in the UK.

    Prior to 2001, reliable figures for the number of people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance are not available because data available then did not distinguish between those in payment and those with underlying payment.

    The information available is provided in the attached Appendix.

    I hope you find the information helpful.

    Appendix:

Number of Carer’s Allowance recipients as at November( 1) of each year from 2001 to 2005
Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency South Tyneside LA North East GOR Great Britain

2005

850

1,520

25,810

443,990

2004

840

1,480

25,630

431,580

2003

810

1,430

24,840

406,140

2002

800

1,430

25,180

403,370

2001

760

1,330

23,870

376,210


Number of Carer’s Allowance recipients aged 60 and over, as at November( 1) of each year from 2001 to 2005
Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency South Tyneside LA North East GOR Great Britain

2005

70

100

2,140

42,570

2004

60

100

2,070

40,070

2003

60

110

1,910

35,760

2002

70

120

1,980

36,320

2001

50

110

1,840

33,110

Definitions and Conventions:
“—” Nil or Negligible; “.” Not applicable; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
(1) Only cases in payment are shown (those with underlying entitlement but not actually receiving payment have been excluded).
Notes:
1. Figures are only available for GB because the Department for Social Security Northern Ireland (NI) is responsible for NI statistics.
2. 2001 and 2002 figures are as at December. 2003, 2004 and 2005 figures are as at November.
3. Government Office Region, Local Authorities and Parliamentary constituencies have been allocated using the ONS postcode directory.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for 2003-2005 and 100% samples for 2001-2002.

Child Poverty

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children in (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area have been lifted out of poverty since 1997. [87365]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Information below regional level is not available.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in (a) Brent, East and (b) Brent in each year since 1997. [87424]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Information below regional level is not available.


24 July 2006 : Column 875W

Command Papers

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; how (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement. [81658]

Mrs. McGuire: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the numbered Command Papers series.

A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers can only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter of5 May from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on overpayment of benefits. [78039]

Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer on 16 June 2006]: I replied to the hon. Member on 8 June 2006.

Crisis Loans

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many telephone lines are available in Crewe and Nantwich that are dedicated lines to the North West call centre for crisis loans; how many missed calls were recorded per day on average in the last period for which figures are available; how many complaints have been received about those lines in the last 12 months; and how crisis loans can be accessed if his Department's local office is closed; [83787]

(2) where the officials answering calls to the telephone lines dedicated to applicants for crisis loans in the North West are located. [84396]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 24 July 2006:

    The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many telephone lines are available in Crewe and Nantwich that are dedicated lines to the North West call centre for crisis loans; how many missed calls were recorded per day on average in the last period for which figures are available; how many complaints have been received about those lines in the last 12 months; how crisis loans can be accessed if the Department's local office is closed and where the officials answering calls tothe telephone lines dedicated to applicants for crisis loans in the North West are located. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

    The Social Fund Unit in Hartford House, Northwich is one of 13 such units in the Jobcentre Plus North West Region, which process applications for Crisis Loans. This unit covers more than one individual site. Customers can apply for a Crisis Loan by telephone (Crisis Loan Direct) or opt for a face-to-face interview.


24 July 2006 : Column 876W

    The Northwich unit administers the Social Fund for the area covered by the Cheshire and Warrington Jobcentre Plus District. Customers within this District are able to access the Crisis Loan team in Northwich by telephone, or by the freephone facility at their local Jobcentre. Nantwich Jobcentre has one telephone programmed for Social Fund customers and Crewe Jobcentre has four. Applications for Crisis Loans for the rest of the North West are processed in the following sites: Mitre House, Lancaster; Marton Mere, Blackpool; Barry House, Preston; Rusholme, Manchester; Graeme House, Chorlton; Park Road, Toxteth; Hordan House, Birkenhead; Edendale House, Huyton; Webster House, Kirkby; Eastbank House, Southport; Gregson House, St Helens; Kingsway House, Widnes; Newgate House, Rochdale; Elizabeth House, Bolton; Beech House, Hyde; and Brun House, Burnley. Overall, there are 110 dedicated telephone lines for Crisis Loans throughout the North West Region.

    I regret that I am unable to provide you with reliable data on the numbers of missed calls, as the current telephony system does not record this.

    The Northwich team receive an average of sixty-five Crisis Loan applications each day. In the last twelve months a total of fifty-five complaints have been received concerning the difficulties experienced by customers in accessing this service. A number of those complaints followed a period between October and November 2005 during which the telephony system experienced extensive service interruptions and suspensions. Jobcentre Plus is currently investing in an enhanced telephony and IT system, to improve customer service as part of our programme to transform Social Fund delivery.

    From April 2008 all Social Fund functions, including Crisis Loan Direct, for customers in our Cheshire and Warrington District will be delivered from a specialist unit in Belle Vale, Liverpool. Until then, Northwich will continue to administer Crisis Loan Direct.

    Those customers who need a Crisis Loan when our offices are closed (i.e. outside normal working hours) can access the “Out of Hours Service” (OOHS), by contacting their Local Authority, Social Services or the police. The Pension Service can also make a referral to the OOHS on a weekday night up to 20.00. These contacts have details of the OOHS dedicated telephone numbers.

    I am extremely concerned that your constituents have continued to experience difficulties in accessing the Crisis Loan service in Northwich, and can assure you that both my Regional and Local Social Fund Managers are taking action to address these capacity issues. I am confident that, as staff gain greater experience, with the introduction of a number of streamlined processes, and with improvements to the telephone service, we should be able to resolve these problems.

    Both Bill Marks, NW Region Benefit Delivery Manager and Angela Keith, NW Region Social Fund Manager, will be more than happy to discuss any further concerns you may have, and I have also asked that they arrange an early meeting with the appropriate Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on crisis loans for people in each London borough in each of the last five years. [87117]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Departmental Complaints

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints his Department received from (a) hon. Members, (b) advice agencies and (c) the public in each of the last 24 months. [41822]

Mrs. McGuire: The following annexes provide details of complaints received in DWP in 2004 and 2005.


24 July 2006 : Column 877W

I am unable to provide exactly the same information across all our businesses because, historically, the different agencies of the Department have counted complaints in different ways. This is an issue that we are now addressing, as part of work to bring a consistent approach to complaints handling across the Department.


24 July 2006 : Column 878W

Complaints from advice agencies are not recorded separately from those for members of the public. However, the Appeals Service started recording them separately in April 2005, and, from that date, complaints from advice agencies are included in the overall figure, and shown in brackets alongside.

Complaints from members of the public and advice agencies
Jobcentre Plus The Pension Service Disability and Carers Service( 1) Child Support Agency( 2) Appeals Service( 3) Compensation Recovery Unit

2004

January

(4, 5)4736

(6)

(7)1130

3248

54

5

February

(5)

(6)

(7)

3340

58

11

March

(5)

(6)

(7)

3901

59

10

April

1317

2347

(8)1685

3363

45

10

May

1430

2931

(8)

3759

59

12

June

2728

3627

(8)

4091

67

26

July

2890

3346

(9)1596

3985

52

4

August

3460

2462

(9)

3845

56

17

September

3477

1954

(9)

4108

44

5

October

3112

1540

(10)1358

3742

53

4

November

3332

1535

(10)

4081

54

6

December

2604

1109

(10)

3009

36

10

2005

January

3234

1517

(11)1293

3395

56

0

February

3164

1532

(11)

3877

63

0

March

3682

1520

(11)

3988

77

6

April

2273

1741

(12)902

4287

54 (14)

3

May

2506

1307

(12)

3370

47(5)

0

June

2488

1218

(12)

3705

45(12)

0

July

2840

1623

(13)917

3340

61 (13)

8

August

3062

1945

(13)

3589

67(10)

3

September

2887

1942

(13)

3727

63(18)

3

October

2928

1979

(14)997

3671

49(13)

2

November

3104

2257

(14)

4110

56(15)

5

December

428

1464

(14)

3156

40(7)

1

2006

January

516

1899

(15)1112

3965

66(13)

5

February

755

1980

(15)

3932

43(9)

5

March

537

2110

(15)

4324

72(13)

7

April

483

1331

n/a

3078

(16)

4

May

541

1346

n/a

3484

(16)

2

(1)Figures recorded only on a quarterly basis
(2) Figures are for First Stage of the complaints process, Treat Official and Chief Executive complaints, some of which may come from MPs
(3) Until April 2005, the Appeals Service included all complaints in one count
(4 )Figures recorded on a quarterly basis until April 2004
(5 )Total
(6) Figures could not be retrieved within the required timescale
(7) Total
(8) Total
(9) Total
(10) Total
(11) Total
(12) Total
(13) Total
(14) Total
(15) Total
(16)The Appeals Service moved to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in April 2006.
n/a=Not yet available.

24 July 2006 : Column 879W

24 July 2006 : Column 880W

Complaints from Members of Parliament
Jobcentre Plus The Pension Service Disability and Carers Service Child Support Agency( 1) Appeals Service( 2) Compensation Recovery Unit

2004

January

165

208

(3)

428

1

February

126

199

(3)

551

0

March

203

247

(3)

569

0

April

144

191

163

566

0

May

132

161

263

499

1

June

160

169

269

592

0

July

224

181

319

723

0

August

144

145

293

755

0

September

168

193

315

722

1

October

170

207

290

755

0

November

198

217

368

891

0

December

125

180

305

705

1

2005

January

148

204

289

714

0

February

180

213

352

962

0

March

235

201

328

987

6

April

165

196

185

793

6

3

May

106

97

185

719

2

0

June

216

127

292

789

4

0

July

230

134

290

814

3

8

August

296

98

199

754

6

3

September

232

121

210

798

9

3

October

208

101

230

820

11

2

November

238

132

242

1001

4

5

December

192

119

218

814

4

1

2006

January

199

58

207

717

4

1

February

227

73

250

873

6

0

March

335

90

296

837

6

0

April

227

83

233

649

(4)

0

May

299

79

250

780

(4)

0

(1) Figures are for MP complaints to business units; MP complaints to Chief Executive are included with other Chief Executive complaints in Annex 1
(2) Until April 2005, the Appeals Service included all complaints in one count
(3) Figures could not be retrieved within the required timescale
(4) The Appeals Service moved to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in April 2006.

Debt Management did not keep separate statistics for complaints and general correspondence, with all letters received being logged as correspondence regardless of content, until the roll out of the new Debt Management Complaints Process on 1 July 2005. Complaints statistics were then maintained separately from correspondence as shown.

Debt Management
Source of Complaint
Customer MP 3( rd) Party

2005

July

48

10

13

August

49

15

23

September

38

23

19

October

57

18

29

November

98

19

78

December

72

14

87

2006

January

118

17

132

February

134

8

131

March

208

7

174

April

162

6

89

May

141

7

49

Notes:
The “3rd party” category includes next of kin, appointees and executors as well as welfare rights organisations.
The “Customer” category includes both written and verbal complaints by the customer.
The table reflects figures across Debt Management, including the Enforcement Initiative.

The Rent Service

The Rent Service has provided figures for the period January 2004 to April 2006.

They received 73 letters of complaint from the public, and one letter of complaint from an MP.


24 July 2006 : Column 881W

Health and Safety Executive

Figures for the Health and Safety Executive are not provided as they do not deal directly with customers.

Departmental Staffing

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are made within the Department and its agencies for maintaining in its employment those (a) over 50 years and (b) with a disability in circumstances of (i) a period of sickness absence and (ii) local staff restructuring. [86040]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not discriminate on grounds of age. From October 2006 staff below Senior Civil Service grades will no longer have a mandatory retirement age in DWP. This means that once they have reached the minimum pension age of 60, staff themselves decide when to retire.

Where staff incur a period of sickness absence the Department provides extensive support to all staff through its Occupational Health Service contract, Employee Assistance Programme and generous sick leave provision if an employee is sick or has an incapacity.

The Department considers reasonable workplace adjustments in all cases where the Disability Discrimination Act could apply. These ensure the employee is not placed at a disadvantage in comparison to other employees. The Department takes seriously its responsibilities for managing attendance and has developed a supportive policy and procedures for managing sickness absences. The policy was commended by the National Audit Office (NAO) as meeting best practice.

Disabled people are included in all restructuring plans in the same way as other employees. They are guaranteed interviews in selection exercises if they meet the minimum criteria for the post. All applicants are offered reasonable adjustments at all stages of the selection exercise. When a disabled person is successful at the selection exercise our Human Resources teams work closely with occupational health to ensure that any adjustments needed, to either the workplace environment or the post, are put in place quickly to enable the person to commence work without delay. Workplace adjustments are given priority to facilitate moves. Should volunteers be called for to move jobs, or compulsory moves required, the same adjustments are made for any disabled people included in these moves.

Disability Awareness

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which voluntary and private sector organisations have been contracted by his Department to deliver (a) disability awareness and (b) other training to Jobcentre Plus staff. [83328]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Voluntary and private sector organisations have been involved with Jobcentre Plus since its inception to design, develop, deliver and quality assure the training provided to their staff.


24 July 2006 : Column 882W

Details of the providers available to Jobcentre Plus staff for support on the diversity agenda and for learning and development across the business have been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Lancashire include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the (a) highest, (b) middle and (c) lowest rate. [82756]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Terry Moran, dated 24 July 2006:

    You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Lancashire include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the (a) highest (b) middle and (c) lowest rate.

    The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.

    The information available is in the following tables:

Recipients of disability living allowance with learning difficulties by rate of care award as at November 2005 in Lancashire parliamentary constituencies
Care component
Total with care component Highest rate Middle rate Lowest rate

Blackpool, North and Fleetwood

410

140

70

200

Burnley

410

120

80

210

Chorley

430

140

50

240

Fylde

330

110

50

170

Hyndburn

490

140

80

260

Lancaster and Wyre

280

90

40

150

Morecambe and Lunesdale

410

150

60

200

Pendle

350

100

40

200

Preston

450

150

90

220

Ribble Valley

340

120

40

180

Rossendale and Darwen

340

110

60

170

South Ribble

360

100

70

190

West Lancashire

370

150

50

170

Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. The parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
4. Figures are based on the care component condition only.
Source:
DWP, WPLS 100 per cent. data.

24 July 2006 : Column 883W

Recipients of disability living allowance with learning difficulties by rate of care award as at November 2005 in Lancashire local authorities
Care component
Total with care component Highest rate Middle rate Lowest rate

Lancashire total

4,630

1,510

710

2,410

Burnley

410

110

80

210

Chorley

430

140

50

240

Fylde

250

80

40

130

Hyndburn

460

130

70

250

Lancaster

540

190

80

270

Pendle

350

100

40

200

Preston

560

190

90

280

Ribble Valley

200

80

20

110

Rossendale

240

80

40

120

South Ribble

410

110

80

230

West Lancashire

410

160

60

180

Wyre

370

120

60

190

Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. The local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
4. Figures are based on the care component condition only.
Source:
DWP, WPLS 100 per cent. data.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled staff within his Department (a) received equipment and adaptations through the Access to Work scheme up to 2003 and (b) receive equipment and adaptations paid for by his Department. [79935]

Mrs. McGuire: Any Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee requiring equipment and adaptation support up until March would have received the necessary support with costs attributed to the national Access to Work budget. However, Jobcentre Plus Access to Work did not collect the numbers of departmental disabled staff accessing adaptations and equipment support at that time.

Currently any DWP employee requiring equipment and adaptations continues to receive the necessary support, and costs are attributed to the individual local budgets relevant to the individual employee. Prior to the introduction of our new resource management system, we are collecting clerical statistical data on numbers of reasonable adjustments undertaken each quarter, the information is shown on the following table.

Quarter ending Number of reasonable adjustments undertaken

August 2005

492

December 2005

545

March 2006

321


24 July 2006 : Column 884W

Draft Bills

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the draft Bills produced by his Department since October 2005; how many were examined or are planned to be examined by (a) a Departmental Select Committee or a combination of Select Committees and (b) a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [81656]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department of Work and Pensions has produced no draft Bills since October 2005.

Announcements on future legislation and future draft legislation which will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny will be indicated in the Queen’s Speech.

Family Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of families with three or more children were living in poverty in each county in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available. [87736]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Information below National or Government Office regional level is not available.

Financial Assistance Scheme/Pension Protection Fund

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest payment has been under the financial assistance scheme to former Allied Steel and Wire workers living (i) in and (ii) outside Wales; and if he will make a statement. [64131]

James Purnell: The financial assistance scheme will provide a qualifying member with assistance that will top-up their scheme pension to a level broadly equivalent to 80 per cent. of their expected pension. Payments are subject to a de minimis level and a cap.

FAS payments to former Allied Steel and Wire workers living in Wales
Gross (£)

Average

205.11

Highest

629.84

Lowest

50.08


Under the Data Protection Act it is inappropriate to reveal such

    “data which relate to a living individual who can be identified from those data”.

As there is only one former ASW member receiving a payment living outside of Wales, I cannot comment on payments that may have been made to this individual.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Financial Assistance scheme has paid out to members of schemes that wound up before 6 April 2005 with insufficient funds to cover all pension entitlements; and if he will make a statement. [89095]


24 July 2006 : Column 885W

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance scheme has paid a total of £707,121.93 (gross) to members of pension schemes that had completed wind up or were in the winding up process before April 6 2005.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he next plans to review the level of funding for (a) the Financial Assistance Scheme and (b) the Pension Protection Fund. [62312]

James Purnell: Following the recent review, on25 May we announced that we will extend eligibility for the financial assistance scheme (FAS) to members of qualifying pension schemes who were within 15 years of their scheme's normal retirement age on 14 May 2004.

Those within seven years of their scheme's normal retirement age on 14 May 2004 will benefit from the FAS topping up their pensions to around 80 per cent. of their expected core pension. Those between seven and 15 years from their scheme's normal retirement age who can more reasonably be expected to supplement their retirement income will be considered for a top-up to around 65 per cent. of their expected pension if they are between seven and 11 years from scheme pension age, and 50 per cent. between 12 and 15 years.

We estimate that this will require funding of£2.3 billion. This is £1.9 billion more than the £400 million over 20 years that we allocated in May 2004.

The Pension Protection Fund is an independent body governed by a board. It is funded in two ways; through the assets of schemes for which it assumes responsibility and by charging an annual pension protection levy on the pension schemes eligible for entry to the PPF. The PPF is responsible for setting the levy and has estimated a levy of £575 million for 2006-07 following wide consultation with industry.

Provisions in the Pensions Act 2004 prevent the PPF from increasing its levy by more than 25 per cent. each year, up to an overall maximum ceiling. If the PPF wish to raise a levy beyond the ceiling then it must undertake consultation before asking Secretary of State to increase the levy ceiling.

Fuel Direct

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for Fuel Direct for (a) gas and (b) electricity by eligible consumers were approved by his Department but declined by an energy supplier in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in the last full year for which figures are available. [84378]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Fuel Direct is part of the DWP Third Party Deduction (TPD) scheme. This is a system of last-resort protection available to the most vulnerable of our customers and is designed to shield a minority of people on income-related benefits from the consequences of getting into debt with essential household outgoings.

The scheme works by deducting a prescribed amount at source from someone’s weekly benefit, currently £2.90, and paying it direct to the creditor until the debt is cleared. In fuel and water cases an amount is also deducted to cover current consumption costs preventing
24 July 2006 : Column 886W
further debt accruing. The scheme is regulated under Schedule 9 of the Social Security (Claims and Payment) Regulations 1987 No. 1968. These allow for either a benefit customer or a supplier, to make an application for TPD. However, only the DWP Decision Maker can decide whether or not the application is accepted.

Funeral Payments

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he next plans to increase funeral payments made by the Social Fund. [86730]

Mr. Plaskitt: Funeral Payments from the social fund cover the cost of certain necessary charges in full; these include fees levied by burial authorities and crematoria. An additional sum of up to £700 is allowed for other funeral expenses, which give the person arranging the funeral the freedom to select items or services they consider appropriate.

Although there are no plans to make changes to the Funeral Payment scheme at this time the level of help is kept under review.

Government Employment (St. Annes)

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has to reduce employment levels at the Government office site at Heyhouses Lane in St. Annes; and which business areas will be affected; [87606]

(2) what plans he has to relocate staff presently employed at the Government office site at Heyhouses Lane in St. Annes to other department locations within the Fylde area; [87607]

(3) when he expects to announce the outcome of his Department’s estates review. [87608]

Mrs. McGuire: My Department intends to make an announcement to staff on the position of its non-London Headquarters estate by the end of July.

Change to the size and shape of the Department’s estate will not automatically lead to a reduction in staff numbers. However, as set out in the 2004 Spending Review, the Department is currently managing a major efficiency programme which involves reducing staff numbers by 30,000 by March 2008. These reductions are being made in all parts of the Department and across all of the country.

Harassment Complaints

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints of (a) bullying and (b) sexual harassment have been investigated in the Department in each of the last three years; and how many complaints have been upheld. [63529]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions records complaints relating to bullying and sexual harassment that are formally investigated by the Department. The following table contains information about the number of complaints that were formally investigated in the years 2003 to 2005. The figures in the table relate to the Department and all its businesses.


24 July 2006 : Column 887W

24 July 2006 : Column 888W
Bullying Sexual harassment
Number of investigations started Number upheld Number of investigations started Number upheld

2003-04

215

73

Less than 5

Less than 5

2004-05

191

72

24

15

2005-06

119

24

25

8


Hinkley Point B

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has made to the safety assessment made by the Nuclear Safety Directorate of Hinkley Point B, Somerset of 3 April 2006; and what action he plans to take. [84450]

Mrs. McGuire: None. Accountability for the safety of the civil nuclear industry rests with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Health and Safety Executive’s Nuclear Safety Directorate is the independent nuclear safety regulator and I am satisfied that it will respond appropriately with regard to its own safety assessments.

Housing Benefits

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many under 25-year-olds are in receipt of the shared room rate of the local housing allowance in each of the pathfinder areas. [85609]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.

Under 25-year-olds in receipt of the shared room rate of the local housing allowance in each of the pathfinder areas
Pathfinder area Number of recipients

Blackpool

200

Brighton

150

Conwy

50

Coventry

100

Edinburgh

100

Leeds

200

Lewisham

200

Teignbridge

(1)

All Pathfinders

1,100

(1) A number less than 25. Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 50 and as such components may not sum to total. Source: Administrative data, February 2006.

Identity Cards

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish the feasibility reports on identity cards following the Information Commissioner's decision reference FS50083103. [84989]

Mr. Plaskitt: The Department has appealed against the Information Commissioner's decision to an Information Tribunal and we await the outcome.

However, we have previously confirmed in replies to earlier parliamentary questions that a study on identity fraud by the Cabinet Office, published in 2002, estimated that up to £50 million per year of benefit fraud occurred as a result of identity fraud. This figure was derived from the Regional Benefit Review data collected from Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support claims. The introduction of an identity card would have a significant impact by removing the bulk of this loss.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1589W, on incapacity benefit, how many claimants sought help from his Department to find work during the period October 2003 to February 2006. [85719]

Mrs. McGuire Information on the number incapacity benefit claimants seeking help from this Department to find work during the period October 2003 to February 2006 is not available. Data are not held on the type of inquiries made by clients.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department has taken to help into work those in rural areas receiving incapacity benefits; and if he will make a statement. [85879]

Mr. Jim Murphy: All services that are available to all incapacity benefits claimants are available to clients in both rural and urban areas.

We produce an internal annual Rural Proofing Report for the Countryside Agency; this includes examples of how the Department has addressed service delivery issues in rural areas. A copy of the Countryside Agency's Rural Proofing Report for 2004-05 is available in the Library.

The Department has developed more flexible ways of delivering services through working in partnership with national and local organisations. For example, Jobcentre Plus advisers provide advice and information sessions through partners premises and in some areas mobile offices have been introduced to take the service on the road. Advances in technology are also being used to develop innovative ways of delivering services to customers, particularly for those in rural areas. We are also piloting our successful “Pathways to Work” programme in a range of different geographical locations, including areas such as Somerset in England and Argyll and Bute in Scotland which are significantly rural in character. The programme will be offered nationally by 2008.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there have been in West Suffolk in each year since 2000. [85500]


24 July 2006 : Column 889W

Mrs. McGuire: The available information is in the following table:

Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants, in the Suffolk West parliamentary constituency: each November 2000 to 2005
Number of claimants

2000

2,490

2001

2,560

2002

2,670

2003

2,650

2004

2,680

2005

2,610

Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 2. “Claimant” figures include all incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, including incapacity benefit credits only cases. Source: DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Jobcentre Plus

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial savings were achieved by Jobcentre Plus in 2005-06 against budget; and if he will make a statement. [86039]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie:

    The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what financial savings were achieved by Jobcentre Plus in 2005-06 against budget. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

    The financial figures for 2005-06 are currently being audited. The unaudited position for 2005-06 shows an overall saving of £94 million against budget, as set out in the table below.

£ million
Budget Outturn Saving/(Overspend)

Resource DEL

Staff costs

1,786

1,797

(11)

Non-staff costs

J.007

984

23

Net programme costs

1,088

1,076

12

Total resource DEL

3,881

3,857

24

Capital DEL

356

286

70

Total Jobcentre Plus

4,237

4,143

94


Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the waiting time is for jobseeker's allowance claims to be processed in (a) the South-West and (b) Somerset from (i) contacting the contact centre and being given an appointment for interview and (ii) interview to receipt of benefit; and if he will make a statement. [63378]

Mr. Jim Murphy: In June 2006, the average clearance time for jobseeker’s allowance claims in the south-west region was 17 days, and for Somerset claims was
24 July 2006 : Column 890W
17 days. The average time taken for the contact centres to return a customer's call was within the target 48 hours within the region. The average time between contacting the contact centre and the claim being taken in the Jobcentre was two days.

We recognise that the delivery of jobseeker’s allowance in the south-west and Somerset are not as we would want and that is why we have put additional measures in place to improve performance. These include the recruitment of additional staffing and increased telephony capacity. These measures along with closer working within Jobcentre Plus have resulted in an improvement in average clearance time for the south-west and Somerset. Jobseeker’s allowance claims are now being actioned on the day of receipt in all processing centres. We anticipate the improving trend to continue.

We are also operating a fast track system for those customers in urgent need. Details of this have been shared with local stakeholders.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what special considerations are given to women wearing the veil regarding their suitability for employment when they apply for jobseeker’s allowance; and if he will make a statement. [85016]

Mr. Jim Murphy: There are no special considerations given to a woman’s suitability for employment when wearing a veil or any other specific item of clothing.

Means Testing

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ask the Government Actuary’s Department to make an assessment of the assumptions underlying the projections of (a) public spending and (b) the extent of means testing inCm 6841; and if he will make a statement. [83807]

James Purnell: The assumptions and modelling techniques underpinning the analysis contained in Security in Retirement: towards a new pensions system (Cm 6841) have been developed and refined over a number of years through a process of regular contact and validation with a range of expert organisations. In the past year these have also been scrutinised by the independent Pensions Commission who found them to be broadly comparable with their own analysis.

As part of the consultation process on Cm 6841 we will continue to engage with such organisations, including the Government Actuary’s Department, to set out and explain in detail the analysis it contained, including our projections on future public expenditure and eligibility for pension credit. We also intend to publish, prior to the introduction of legislation, the research on which our proposals are based.

National Insurance Numbers

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with no recourse to public funds because of their immigration status have national insurance numbers. [84346]


24 July 2006 : Column 891W

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new national insurance numbers were issued in the Peterborough city council area in the 12 months to 31 March (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [86882]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he was informed that national insurance numbers were being issued to (a) illegal immigrants, (b) immigrants with false papers and (c) immigrants whose visas had expired; when the review into this matter was begun; and if he will make a statement [75917]

Mr. Plaskitt: National insurance numbers (NINOs) are only ever allocated when an individual has proved their identity. Individuals who present false documentation would not be allocated a NINO as we would not be satisfied as to their identity.

In May 2006 DWP undertook a review of the NINO allocation rules to see whether DWP systems could be tightened to protect the security of the NINO.

As a result of this review on Monday 5 June 2006 I announced changes to improve the NINO allocation process. These changes were introduced duringJuly 2006 and will introduce a “right to work” pre-condition for employment-related NINO applications. This will prevent illegal workers being allocated a NINO.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 287W, on national insurance numbers, how many national insurance numbers in issue are allocated to (a) deceased people, (b) those in receipt of benefit outside the UK and (c) others who are abroad. [76025]

Mr. Plaskitt: In order to maintain the integrity of the system (and for benefit purposes) national insurance numbers (NINOs) are not removed. For example, they are retained after a person dies or moves abroad. This is because individuals who move abroad may at some point have a call upon contributions paid while in the UK. In the case of deceased individuals, a partner may make a claim for a contributory benefit, which is dependant on the contribution record of the deceased individual.

The information is in the table.

Allocation of NINOs to deceased people, those in receipt of benefit outside the UK, and others who are abroad
Million

NINOs in issue to deceased people

16.5

NINOs in issue to those in receipt of benefits outside the UK

1

NINOs in issue to others abroad

5.5

Note:
These figures are from 2003 and relate to the total number of NINOs in issue at the time.

24 July 2006 : Column 892W

New Deal

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on travel passes for young people on the new deal in each year since 1997; how many passes were issued in each year; and if he will make a statement. [85468]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The New Deal Reduced Rail Fare Scheme was established in 1997 and, in England and Wales, is jointly operated by Jobcentre Plus and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). The scheme was set up to provide new deal participants with reduced travel costs whilst on the New Deal programme.

New deal participants are advised about the availability of the Reduced Rail Fare Scheme either in their first invitation letter or at the initial gateway interview. Rail fare reductions can be made available,at adviser discretion, to eligible new deal for young people participants travelling in England and Wales throughout their time on new deal, on all trains participating in the scheme. In addition, ATOC have agreed to provide further reductions for the first three months of rail travel once participants have left new deal for a sustained job. In this instance, all travel tickets must be bought whilst the participant is on the new deal programme.

In Scotland, First ScotRail, SPT, GNER and Virgin Trains offer free and reduced rate travel to all new deal customers in certain geographical locations. This provision is available to new deal customers from their first day on the programme until their first wage is received.

Local agreements are also in operation with some bus companies for the provision of reduced rate fares for new deal customers and, in certain circumstances, travel costs are paid through other sources such as the Adviser’s Discretion Fund or the Travel to Interview Scheme.

Data is not held on the number of travel passes issued, and expenditure has not been accounted for at the level of detail required to separately identify the costs of the New Deal Reduced Fare Scheme, or the costs of funding travel for new deal customers through other sources. However, no subsidy is paid to train or bus companies by Jobcentre Plus for the Reduced Fare Scheme and the only costs incurred by the Department are the administrative costs involved in managing any necessary paperwork.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent in each year since 1998 on the nationwide network of mentors to advise young people on getting back into work; how many advisers were employed in each year; and how many young people they assisted into work in each year. [85550]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Mentoring was introduced into new deal provision to help those people who may need additional support to that offered by their new deal personal adviser. New deal mentoring is available at
24 July 2006 : Column 893W
Jobcentre Plus District Manager's discretion, depending on the needs of the local labour market, and can supplement and complement new deal personal adviser support given to new deal participants.

Young people on new deal for young people can access mentoring support on a voluntary basis. It is provided by independent volunteers who use their skills, experience and expertise to help unemployed people break down the barriers preventing them from working. Young people with a health condition or disability who are participants on New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) may also access mentoring support if their NDDP job broker identifies this as being appropriate in helping them into employment. Mentoring support is also available to eligible lone parents and partners.

Information is not available on the number of people providing independent mentoring support, or on the number of young people they assist into work each year. Information is also not available on the cost of providing mentoring support as new deal financial data is not broken down in that way.

Occupational Pensions

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions why he applied for a temporal limitation procedure in relation to the Amicus-Community trade union European Court of Justice occupational pensions case. [78019]

James Purnell [holding answer 16 June 2006]: The Government’s position is that the United Kingdom’s interpretation of article 8 of directive 80/987/EEC is consistent with the text of the directive, the legislative history, the case law of the European Court of Justice and, until recently represented, the view of the European Commission.

In the event of the European Court’s judgment being that article 8 requires a higher level of protection than provided in the UK, the Government asked the Court, in the interests of legal certainty, to consider imposing a temporal limitation on its judgment.

It is usual practice to ask for a temporal limitation on the judgment in a case such as this, where the relevant criteria that the Court has set down for imposing a temporal limitation are met.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85209]


24 July 2006 : Column 894W

Mrs. McGuire: The Department received 4,124 ordinary, named day and Lords parliamentary questions in the 12 month period to 30 June.

A total of 190 parliamentary questions to the Department of Work and Pensions were awaiting answer on 10 July 2006, of which 10 had been outstanding for more than two weeks but less than three weeks and 85 were outstanding for more than three weeks.

The reasons for delay in each case are not collated centrally and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department endeavours to answer named day questions on the day named and to reply to ordinary written questions within a working week.

Pension Credit

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1171W, on pension credit, why production of the pension credit wallets ceased. [85915]

James Purnell: Production of the pension credit ‘plastic wallets’ ceased because there was sufficient stock to meet likely demand.

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all pensioners are entitled to have their pension credit paid into a Post Office card account. [86066]

Mr. Plaskitt: Pensioners who satisfy the terms and conditions set by Post Office Ltd. for opening a Post Office card account can have their pension credit payments made this way.

In order for pensioners to make an informed choice about the type of account they should have their pension credit paid into, they are being advised that the contract which supports the Post Office card account ends in March 2010 and that if they choose to be paid into a Post Office card account now, they will need to switch to a different type of account at some point in the next few years.

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual beneficiaries of pension credit there were in each ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in November (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005; and what the average weekly payment was in each case. [86859]

James Purnell: The information requested is in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 895W

24 July 2006 : Column 896W
Pension credit individual beneficiaries and average weekly payments for wards in Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central
November 2003 November 2004 November 2005
Ward name Individual beneficiaries Average weekly payments (£) Individual beneficiaries Average weekly payments (£) Individual beneficiaries Average weekly payments (£)

Blakelaw

850

38.68

1,030

38.93

1,050

39.34

Fenham

775

39.28

955

37.92

970

39.68

Jesmond

275

42.18

305

44.32

300

43.37

Kenton

635

43.28

770

41.10

770

42.37

Moorside

630

47.01

735

44.38

740

47.66

Sandyford

660

43.46

775

40.64

770

43.58

South Gosforth

245

40.24

290

38.41

305

38.04

Wingrove

400

49.20

470

48.29

520

48.44

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central constituency total

4,440

42.80

5,300

41.30

5,380

42.76

Notes:
1. The number of recipients are rounded to a multiple of five and average payments to the nearest penny therefore ward totals do not always sum to area totals.
2. Wards are based on 2003 ward boundaries.
3. The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.
Source:
DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data.

Pensioners

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the take-up rate of benefits by pensioners was in each year since 1997. [85549]

James Purnell: Take-up of retirement pension cannot be calculated accurately. However, 98 per cent. of pensioner benefit units were in receipt of some state pension in 2004-05. Those not receiving may include pensioners deferring their state pension or misreporting their income when asked.

Estimates of take-up of pension credit and minimum income guarantee administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as well as local authority administered housing benefit and council tax benefit, can be found in the DWP publication series entitled: “Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up”. Latest estimates of pension credit relate to the year 2004-05; the most recent take-up results for all the other benefits relate to 2003-04. Copies of the latest publications, which describe patterns in take-up since 1997-98, together with past reports, are available in the Library.

Information on the take-up of other benefits is not available.

Pensions Act

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) sets of regulations and (b) codes of practice under the Pensions Act 2004 due to take effect from 6th April 2006 have not yet been published in final form. [48096]

James Purnell: The information is as follows:

(a) 16 sets of regulations implementing the Pensions Act 2004 and due to take effect from April 2006 have been made and laid on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

These are listed as follows:

Regulations that came into force on 28 March 2006:

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Cross-Border) Regulations 2006 (amendment).

Regulations that came into force on 1 April 2006:

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Pension Protection Levy and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Fraud Compensation Levy) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Levies) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Valuation of the Pension Protection Fund) Regulations 2006.

Regulations that came into force on 6 April 2006:

    The Pension Protection Fund (Administration of Compensation) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Compensation) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Entry Rules) (Amendments) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Assumption of Responsibility, Discharge of Liabilities and Equal Treatment) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Reviewable Matters) and (Review and Reconsideration of Reviewable Matters) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

    The Pension Protection Fund (Provision of Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Member Nominated Trustees and Directors) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Modification of Subsisting Rights) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Trustees' Knowledge and Understanding) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational and Personal Pensions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2006

    The Occupational Pension Schemes (Payments to Employer) Regulations 2006.

The draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations, which were published for consultation in September 2005, have not yet been laid.

In the light of comments received during consultation on the draft Occupational Pension Schemes (Exemption) Regulations 2006, we have decided not to proceed with those regulations.

Regulations on the subject of contracting out have been taken forward in a HM Revenue and Customs Order.


24 July 2006 : Column 897W

(b) The following codes of practice, issued by the Pensions Regulator in respect of the Pensions Act 2004, are in force from 30 May 2006:

    Late Payments (Money Purchase)

    Late Payments (Personal Pension)

    Trustees Knowledge and Understanding

    Reasonable Periods in Disclosure

    Early Leavers

    Member Nominated Trustees/Member Nominated Directors was laid in its final form on 13 July 2006.

The following codes of practice are currently being developed:

    Modification of Past Rights

    Internal Controls.

Pensions White Paper

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total number of pensioners who would receive savings credit
24 July 2006 : Column 898W
under the current system but will not under the proposals in the White Paper security in retirement, towards a new pensions system in (a) 2010, (b) 2020, (c) 2030, (d) 2040 and (e) 2050. [78004]

James Purnell: Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.

The following table shows the difference between the number of pensioner households projected to be receiving savings credit in each year requested under the current system projected forward and under the proposals contained in the White Paper “security in retirement: towards a new pensions system”. These figures do not take into account the effects of introducing personal accounts, which should lead to lower proportions of older people being eligible for pension credit.

Table 1: Projected numbers of pensioner households in selected years that may receive savings credit under the current system projected forward, and that may receive it under the white paper proposals
Number of pensioner households that may receive savings credit under the current system projected forward (million) Number of pensioner households that may receive savings credit under the white paper proposals (million) Difference

2010

2.40

2.05

0.35

2020

3.00

1.85

1.15

2030

4.00

1.60

2.40

2040

5.05

1.60

3.40

2050

6.15

1.70

4.45

Notes:
1. Projections of numbers receiving savings credit in the future are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of factors including policies on uprating different benefits, and assumptions on rates of take-up.
2. The assumptions applied here are consistent with those that underpin published long-run expenditure projections, and are applied to projections of the number of pensioner households estimated to be eligible for the savings credit.
3. The projections of recipients of the savings credit under the current system and the reform proposals are calculated by applying assumed rates of take-up, care should be taken when interpreting these projections. In particular data deficiencies make it difficult to be confident in the split between the number of people who may be in receipt of only the guarantee credit and those who may be in receipt of both the guarantee credit and the savings credit. Also the projections are sensitive to the assumed take-up rates.
4. Estimates of the proportion of pensioner households eligible to the savings credit are the mid-points of projections taken from two separate micro-simulation models. Modelling of the reform proposals does not assume any increase in private saving from the introduction of personal accounts, which would further reduce the numbers eligible for the savings credit.
5. The projections of the number and proportion of pensioner households eligible for the savings credit are sensitive to modelling assumptions and to projected changes in the distribution of pensioner incomes.
6. The projections of the number of pensioner households eligible for the savings credit are derived from the projected proportions eligible and projections of the number of pensioner households in Great Britain.
7. The reform projections assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the White Paper.
8. The projections under the current system assume that basic state pension is uprated in line with prices and the standard guarantee credit with earnings each year. It should be noted that there is a government commitment to uprate the standard guarantee credit with earnings until 2008. Treasury projections for the current system assume price uprating of the standard guarantee credit beyond 2008.
9. Estimates are calibrated to the mid-points of the 2004-05 National Statistics range estimates of non-eligibility to pension credit, which adjust 2004-05 Family Resources Survey data to take account of possible biases in reporting. Although the estimates here are not presented as ranges, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
10. The projections are rounded to the nearest 50,000. Totals are rounded separately so components may not sum to totals.

People Living in Poverty

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were estimated to be living in poverty in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and what each figure represents per 1,000 population. [85942]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The following table shows the number of all individuals living in households which are situated in either rural or urban areas of England and with household incomes below the 60 per cent. threshold of the contemporary median. The threshold of 60 per cent. of median household income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income. The figures are on a before and after housing costs basis for the years 1996-97 to 2004-05. The urban/rural marker information is not available on a consistent basis on the data for Scotland and Wales.


24 July 2006 : Column 899W

24 July 2006 : Column 900W
Number of all individuals falling below 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income, by urban/rural: England, 1997-98 to 2004-05
Before housing costs After housing costs Total number of all individuals (million)
Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural

1997-98

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.5

2.2

8.7

2.7

(1)33.8

(1)14.0

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

190

150

260

200

(1)

(1)

1998-99

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.4

2.2

8.6

2.8

(2)34.5

(2)13.6

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

190

160

250

210

(2)

(2)

1999-2000

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.4

2.1

8.6

2.7

(3)34.5

(3)13.7

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

180

150

250

200

(3)

(3)

2000-01

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.1

2.0

8.3

2.6

(4)34.4

(4)14.0

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

180

140

240

190

(4)

(4)

2001-02

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.1

2.0

8.1

2.5

(5)34.9

(5)13.7

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

170

150

230

180

(5)

(5)

2002-03

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.2

2.0

8.1

2.4

(6)34.9

(6)13.9

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

180

140

230

180

(6)

(6)

2003-04

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

6.0

2.1

7.7

2.7

(7)33.8

(7)15.2

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

180

140

230

180

(7)

(7)

2004-05

Number (million). Below 60 per cent. median

5.9

1.9

7.5

2.4

(8)34.2

(8)15.0

Number per 1,000. Below 60 per cent. median

170

130

220

160

(8)

(8)

(1 )Total
(2) Total
(3) Total
(4 )Total
(5) Total
(6) Total
(7) Total
(8) Total
Source:
Households Below Average Income (HBAI). The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) adults and (b) children were living in poverty in (i) England, (ii) Peterborough constituency and (iii) the Peterborough city council in each year since 1997. [85971]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is detailed in "Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994-95 to 2004-05", which is available in the Library. The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

The standard measurement of low income is a household with income below 60 per cent. of the GB median.

The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates below a regional level. Therefore estimates for numbers of adults or children living in low income in the Peterborough constituency or the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997 are not available.


24 July 2006 : Column 901W
Percentage of adults living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income, years 1995-96 to 2004-05; England
Before housing costs After housing costs

1995-96 to 1997-98

16

22

1996-97 to 1998-99

16

22

1997-98 to 1999-00

16

21

1998-99 to 2000-01

16

21

1999-2000 to 2001-02

16

20

2000-01 to 2002-03

16

20

2001-02 to 2003-04

16

19

2002-03 to 2004-05

15

19

Note:
Figures are provided using a three-year moving averages, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year on year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time.
Source:
FRS

Percentage of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income, years 1995-96 to 2004-05; England
Before housing costs After housing costs

1995-96 to 1997-98

23

32

1996-97 to 1998-99

24

33

1997-98 to 1999-00

24

32

1998-99 to 2000-01

22

32

1999-2000 to 2001-02

21

31

2000-01 to 2002-03

20

29

2001-02 to 2003-04

20

29

2002-03 to 2004-05

20

28

Note:
Figures are provided using a three-year moving averages, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year on year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time.
Source:
FRS

Safety at Work

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of workers who suffered from occupational exposure to (a) methyl bromide and (b) sulphuric acid in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [85606]

Mrs. McGuire: Available information via reports to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) in 2004-05 revealed 19 injuries to workers where reports mentioned the term “sulphuric acid” but no injuries mentioning “methyl bromide”. Of these injuries, 13 were recorded as burns and four as asphyxiations or poisonings. This information from RIDDOR is limited by significant under-reporting of relevant cases to HSE and local authorities.

Since 2000, there have been a small number of reports of cases of ill health resulting from occupational exposure to sulphuric acid or methyl bromide by consultant occupational and NHS physicians reporting to The Health and Occupation Reporting (THOR) network, a voluntary reporting scheme for work-related illness sponsored by the Health and Safety Executive. These are described in the following table. THOR will record only those cases where the individual has access to an occupational physician or which are serious enough to be referred for hospital assessment. Many clinicians reporting to the network do so only one month in twelve, meaning that only a proportion of all cases will be recorded.


24 July 2006 : Column 902W
THOR 2000 onwards: cases of injury and illness attributed to sulphuric acid and methyl bromide
Agent Illness or injury Number of reported cases

Sulphuric acid

Asthma

3

Cough

1

Inhalation accident

1

Burn

1

Methyl bromide

“Poisoning”

3


Seasonal Unemployment

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department has taken to tackle short-term seasonal unemployment in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [85922]

Mr. Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1609W.

Stakeholder Pensions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government plan to spend on promoting stakeholder pensions in the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [86259]

James Purnell: We will continue to provide public information in order to help individuals make informed choices about saving for a pension, including information about stakeholder pensions.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85191]

Mrs. McGuire: On three occasions in the Committee's fourth, twenty-second and twenty-fifth reports.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland have received the Sure Start maternity grant since 2001. [87971]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.


24 July 2006 : Column 903W
Sure Start maternity grants for England
Number of awards

2001-02

172,130

2002-03

199,010

2003-04

204,310

2004-05

203,480

2005-06

205,750

2006-07 to 30 June

49,890


Sure Start maternity grants for Tees Social Fund District
Number of awards

2001-02

2,930

2002-03 to 31 October

1,980


Sure Start maternity grants for area covered by Tees Valley Jobcentre Plus District
Number of awards

2002-03 from 1 November

1,610

2003-04

4,140

2004-05

3,840

2005-06

4,060

2006-07 to 30 June

990

Notes:
1. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency but only by Jobcentre
Plus District, and, before Jobcentre Plus Districts were used for the
administration of the social fund, by social fund district.
2. Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency used to be part of Tees social fund district and is now part of Tees Valley Jobcentre Plus District. The latter was formed in November 2002 by merging part of Durham social fund district with Tees social fund district. Thus data in the third table is not comparable with that in the second table.
3. Figures are for all awards, irrespective of whether the award was made to the mother or her partner.
4. Some women will have received more than one sure start maternity grant since 2001-02.
5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Unclaimed Benefits

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he estimates are not claiming benefits to which they are entitled, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) region; what his estimate is of the total sum involved; and what steps he is taking to reduce that number. [87318]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available broken down below national level. For the available information I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1034W.

We are keen that everybody claims the benefits to which they are entitled. The Department for Work and Pensions works closely with local authorities and other organisations to ensure that people understand their entitlement and claim the appropriate benefits.


24 July 2006 : Column 904W

Deputy Prime Minister

Background Reading

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what publications have been provided by civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement. [87590]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I am provided with the publications necessary to enable me to fulfil my ministerial duties.

Casinos

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Anschutz Entertainment Group is a casino developer. [86964]

The Deputy Prime Minister: On the company’s website, AEG are described as “sports and entertainment presenters.”

Gambling (Government Policy)

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role he has in relation to Government policy on (a) gambling and (b) planning. [84719]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 19 July 2006, Official Report, column 302.

Ministerial Meetings

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he has had in the last five years with (a) Margaret Hotchkiss, (b) John Allison, (c) Tobin Prior and (d) Howard Kerzner. [85548]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created in June 2002. Information prior to this time is not available. Since that time, I have not had any meetings with the persons named.

Ministerial Office and Staff

Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, columns 788-89W, on his ministerial office and staff, how many members of staff have (a) resigned, (b) been made redundant and (c) been dismissed from his private office since May. [85058]

The Deputy Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 2006]: None.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87651]

The Deputy Prime Minister: My office in 26 Whitehall has not been decorated since I moved into it in September 2002.


24 July 2006 : Column 905W

Ministerial Responsibilities

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities he has in relation to the implementation of Government policy on (a) the international slave trade and (b) the commemoration of the abolition of slavery. [85559]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I do not have any responsibility for the implementation of policy in relation to the international slave trade. However, the hon. Member may be aware that I chair the 2007 Bicentenary Advisory Group, which brings together stakeholders from across the cultural, faith and community sectors to discuss how best we can maximise their organisations’ contributions to the bicentenary.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [83976]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The number of visits I have made to each of the English regions in the past 12 months is shown in the table.

Number of visits

North West

3

North East

1

Yorkshire and the Humber

6

East Midlands

2

East of England

1

West Midlands

0

South East

1

South West

4

London

4


Nuclear Waste

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the disposal of nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement. [87085]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to such discussions, including Cabinet and its committees, is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Official Visit

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what purpose he visited the Star City Casino in Sydney on 28 November 2004. [85696]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on 19 July 2006, Official Report, column 301W.


24 July 2006 : Column 906W

Planning

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role he has in relation to Government policy on planning. [87138]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Responsibility for planning policy rests with the Department for Communities and Local Government.

I chair the Cabinet Committee on Housing and Planning. The chair of a Cabinet Committee must act in a neutral way if the system is to work effectively. Departments’ views are represented by their own Ministers who attend the meetings.

Northern Ireland

Charities Commissioners

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the Northern Ireland Charities Commissioners office to be fully functional. [87127]

Mr. Hanson: On 17 July I launched a public consultation about proposed new Northern Ireland charities legislation which will, inter alia, set up a Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. The 12 week consultation process will close on 13 October 2006. Following this the responses will be considered and where feasible account will be taken of these but we must ensure that we put in place adequate regulation and governance arrangements.

It is then the intention to present the draft Order for consideration by Parliament in November 2006. It is intended subject to the will of Parliament:

    to have legislation approved early in 2007;

    to enable the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland to be established by mid-2007;and

    to enable the Northern Ireland Register of Charities to reach initial operational capability by end-2007.

Concessionary Fares

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department plans to extend the Department for Regional Development's concessionary fares scheme for pupils returning to school in the sixth form. [86571]

David Cairns: The Northern Ireland concessionary fares scheme currently provides half fare travel on public transport for all children up to the 30 June after they become 16, that is, until the end of their period of compulsory attendance at school. On 26 June 2006, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland launched a review of the scheme. This review will consider the feasibility and desirability of options for extending the provision of concessionary travel to additional categories, such as pupils returning to school in the 6th form.


24 July 2006 : Column 907W

Departmental IT Systems

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against
24 July 2006 : Column 908W
planned expenditure of each system was; and what the outturn time for implementation against planned time was. [41314]

Paul Goggins: The following table gives information on IT projects costing in excess of £1 million within the Northern Ireland Office Core, its agencies, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry and the Northern Ireland legal offices (Director of Public Prosecutions and Crown Solicitors Office).


24 July 2006 : Column 909W

24 July 2006 : Column 910W
Project Purpose Amount spent (£ million ex. VAT) Cost of over run (£ million ex. VAT) Time of over run

1997

1998

1999

OASIS Y2K Refresh

To upgrade NIO departmental infrastructure and make it Y2K compliant

2.2

None

None

.

1999

COMPASS (to 2002)

To provide an e-human resources system for the Northern Ireland Prison Service

5

0.06

3 months

2000

TARIFF (to 2004)

To provide office automation and an electronic claim processing system for criminal injuries compensation in Northern Ireland

2

0.2

1 year

2001

PRISM (to spring 2006)

To provide a prisoner record system for the Northern Ireland Prison Service

7

Project ongoing

Project ongoing

2002

(CAUSEWAY (PPP project to 2013)

A joint enterprise by criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland to share information electronically

45

Project ongoing

Project ongoing

2003

DPP INFRASTRUCTURE

To implement a modern ICT infrastructure for the DPP NI.

1.2

None

None

2003

FLAX (to 2005)

Replace NIO IT infrastructure, provide Internet and intranet and meet electronic document and records management targets

8.5

None

None

2004

1998

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry.

1.1

None

None

1999

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

1.6

None

None

2000

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

7.2

None

None

2001

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

5.8

None

None

2002

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

7.1

None

None

2003

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

5

None

None

2004

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

2.6

None

None

2005

Bloody Sunday Inquiry-Londonderry and London

Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the Inquiry

3.7

None

None


Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) EU foreign nationals and (b) non-EU foreign nationals have been employed in (i) each department in Northern Ireland and (ii) the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years; what vetting procedures are in place for each category of staff; and whether this includes liaison with foreign law enforcement agencies. [68005]

Mr. Hanson: Recruitment Service of the Department of Finance and Personnel has responsibility for providing a vetting service for all employees appointed to the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).

The vetting process for all prospective appointees to the NICS includes a number of levels which will be determined by the nature of the duties the appointee is required to carry out. Approximately 95 per cent. of all appointees are required to satisfy a Basic Check level which consists of an identification check as well as a Criminal Record Check (CRC). The CRC, which is undertaken by the Criminal Records Division of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), identifies all instances where an individual has either been convicted of an offence or where a criminal case is pending.

A small number of posts within the NICS may require enhanced vetting. In addition to those checks carried out under 'Basic Check', enhanced vetting, which is undertaken by the NI Security and Vetting Unit of the NIO, includes an assessment of an applicant's credit and pecuniary history and an assessment of the individual as a security risk.

Recruitment Service does not have any direct links, or liaise in any way, with foreign law enforcement agencies, when vetting prospective recruits.

The figures for those employed by Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments within the years and the categories specified are contained within the following table.

Financial Year 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Classification EU Non-EU EU Non-EU EU Non-EU EU Non-EU EU Non-EU

Department

DARD

6

2

11

1

15

4

27

8

13

1

DCAL

0

0

0

0

2

0

1

0

0

0

DE

0

0

2

0

1

1

1

0

1

0

DEL

5

2

3

0

4

0

0

0

1

0

DETI

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

DFP

12

4

11

3

10

4

11

4

4

3

DHSSPS

2

0

2

0

2

1

1

1

1

1

DOE

0

0

3

2

7

2

21

3

11

2

DRD

5

1

13

1

11

2

8

0

1

1

DSD

18

8

15

3

15

2

18

3

11

3

OFMDFM

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

NIO

1

1

0

1

2

0

1

1

1

0

Total

53

18

60

11

69

16

89

20

46

11


24 July 2006 : Column 911W

Domestic Rates

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the simulated average effective tax rate that would notionally have been levied on domestic rates bills in respect of the (a) district and (b) regional rate in (i) Northern Ireland as a whole and (ii) each district in Northern Ireland in 2006-07. [86816]


24 July 2006 : Column 912W

Mr. Hanson: The simulated average district rate for 2006-07 is 0.00258 or £2.58 per £1,000 of capital value, while the regional rate is simulated to be 0.00340 or £3.40 per £,000 of capital value. This gives an overall average rate of 0.00598 or £5.98 per £1,000 of capital value. This estimate simulates what domestic rates would have been in 2006-07 had capital values been in place. Individual district rates are shown in the table.

Simulation of domestic capital value rates for 2006-07
District rate (pence) Regional rate (pence) Total rate (pence) Total rate per £1,000 of CV

Antrim

0.00282

0.00340

0.00622

6.22

Ards

0.00241

0.00340

0.00581

5.81

Armagh

0.00305

0.00340

0.00645

6.45

Ballymena

0.00258

0.00340

0.00599

5.99

Ballymoney

0.00257

0.00340

0.00598

5.98

Banbridge

0.00293

0.00340

0.00634

6.34

Belfast

0.00234

0.00340

0.00575

5.75

Carrickfergus

0.00280

0.00340

0.00620

6.20

Castlereagh

0.00178

0.00340

0.00518

5.18

Coleraine

0.00239

0.00340

0.00579

5.79

Cookstown

0.00237

0.00340

0.00578

5.78

Craigavon

0.00322

0.00340

0.00662

6.62

Derry

0.00320

0.00340

0.00660

6.60

Down

0.00275

0.00340

0.00615

6.15

Dungannon

0.00221

0.00340

0.00561

5.61

Fermanagh

0.00200

0.00340

0.00540

5.40

Larne

0.00307

0.00340

0.00648

6.48

Limavady

0.00300

0.00340

0.00640

6.40

Lisburn

0.00223

0.00340

0.00563

5.63

Magherafelt

0.00214

0.00340

0.00555

5.55

Moyle

0.00303

0.00340

0.00643

6.43

Newry and Mourne

0.00267

0.00340

0.00607

6.07

Newtownabbey

0.00274

0.00340

0.00615

6.15

North Down

0.00213

0.00340

0.00554

5.54

Omagh

0.00308

0.00340

0.00648

6.48

Strabane

0.00287

0.00340

0.00627

6.27

Northern Ireland

0.00258

0.00340

0.00598

5.98

Notes: 1. Based on VLA domestic revaluation data at 26 May 2006. 2. Missing or zero capital values are omitted. 3. Rates based on 2006-07 rate revenues. 4. Simulates what domestic rates would have been in 2006-07 had capital values been in place. 5. For example, the average bill for a domestic property valued at £112,000 would be: 112,000 x 0.00598 = £669.80.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the average domestic rates bill per dwelling that will be paid in 2007-08 in (a) Northern Ireland as a whole and (b) each district in Northern Ireland. [86819]

Mr. Hanson: The average rate bill for domestic properties in Northern Ireland in 2007-08 is estimated at £705. This figure takes into account the planned 6 per cent. increase in the regional rate between 2006-07 and 2007-08, but also assumes that the district rate set by councils will also increase by an average of 6 per cent. during this time.

The following table the information for each district council in Northern Ireland. Again, these assume that both regional and district rates will increase by 6 per cent. in 2007-08.


24 July 2006 : Column 913W
Average domestic rate bills (projected) 2007-08
£

Antrim

736

Ards

789

Armagh

724

Ballymena

678

Ballymoney

655

Banbridge

721

Belfast

699

Carrickfergus

661

Castlereagh

719

Coleraine

747

Cookstown

680

Craigavon

635

Down

771

Fermanagh

589

Larne

625

Limavady

668

Lisburn

737

Derry

668

Magherafelt

641

Moyle

776

Newry and Mourne

755

Newtownabby

687

North Down

901

Omagh

661

Strabane

564

Northern Ireland

705


It should also be noted that none of the estimates given take account of those households which will be in receipt of any of the domestic rate reliefs which will be available, such as housing benefit, the new rate relief scheme or transitional relief.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average domestic rates bill per dwelling was in (a) Northern Ireland as a whole and (b) each district in Northern Ireland in 2006-07. [86820]

Mr. Hanson: The average domestic rate liability for properties in Northern Ireland in 2006-07, combining both regional and district rates, is estimated at £668.

The following table provides the information for each district council in Northern Ireland.

These estimates show only the average rate liability for properties, as information is not available on the level of housing benefit that each household may receive.

Average domestic rate liability 2006-07 (£)

Antrim

667

Ards

672

Armagh

689

Ballymena

663

Ballymoney

651

Banbridge

721

Belfast

580

Carrickfergus

671

Castlereagh

604

Coleraine

700

Cookstown

601

Craigavon

665

Down

690

Dungannon

563

Fermanagh

533

Larne

623

Limavady

662

Lisburn

667

Derry

661

Magherafelt

606

Movie

705

Newry and Mourne

658

Newtownabbey

670

North Down

761

Omagh

650

Strabane

571

Northern Ireland

668


24 July 2006 : Column 914W

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the net revenue to be raised from domestic rates in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [86821]

Mr. Hanson: Domestic rates consists of two elements, the Regional Rate, set by the Secretary of State on a uniform basis across Northern Ireland, and the district rate, set separately by each district council relevant to the location of the property The current estimates of total revenue to be raised from domestic rates in 2006-07 and 2007-08 are detailed in the table as follows.

Total estimated domestic rate revenue
£ million
( 1) Regional rate( 2) District rate

2006-07

248.7

197.4

2007-08

269.9

Not yet available

(1) Based on domestic Regional Rate increases of 19 per cent. in 2006-07 and 6 per cent. in 2007-08 as set out in Northern Ireland Priorities and Budget 2006-08.
(2) District councils set their rate in February of the preceding year so figure for 2007-08 not yet available.

These estimates will be subject to revision as information is updated.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected change in the regional domestic rate levy is for 2007-08; and what the change was in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2005-06. [86844]

Mr. Hanson: The expected change in the regional domestic rate levy for 2007-08 is £21.2 million. The estimated changes in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2005-06 are £42.1 million and £26.3 million respectively.

Driving Tests

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average length of time a person waited to sit a driving test at each test centre in Northern Ireland was in the last period for which figures are available. [86301]

David Cairns: Average waiting times for practical driving tests during week ending 15 July 2006 for each test centre are shown in the following table.

Test centre Average waiting time (weeks)

Armagh

5

Ballymena

5

Belfast

2

Coleraine

6

Cookstown

6

Craigavon

4

Downpatrick

8

Enniskillen

7

Lame

10

Lisburn

5

Londonderry

2

Newry

8

Newtownards

8

Omagh

10

Overall average

6


24 July 2006 : Column 915W

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have sat and (a) failed their first driving test and (b) passed first time at each centre in Northern Ireland in the last three years. [86302]

David Cairns: Information on the number of individual candidates involved is not available. However, details of the number of tests conducted in the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 are as follows.


24 July 2006 : Column 916W
Number
Centre Tests conducted Failed first test Passed first test

Armagh

4,329

2,870

1,459

Ballymena

11,441

9,060

2,381

Belfast (Balmoral Road)

12,243

9,680

2,563

Belfast (Dill Road)

8,203

6,510

1,693

Coleraine

9,686

7,042

2,644

Cookstown

10,665

7,446

3,219

Craigavon

12,147

8,328

3,819

Downpatrick

6,077

3,722

2,355

Enniskillen

4,728

2,897

1,831

Lame

11,499

9,147

2,352

Lisburn

7,315

5,855

1,460

Londonderry (New buildings)

2,057

1,343

714

Londonderry (Waterside House)

9,864

7,733

2,131

Newry

8,278

5,410

2,868

Newtownards

8,829

6,098

2,731

Omagh

7,881

5,319

2,562


Drug-related Offences

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been charged with the intention to supply (a) cannabis, (b) cocaine, (c) crack cocaine and (d) other drugs in the Province in the last three years, broken down by Westminster constituency. [86296]

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided as follows. The Police Service of Northern Ireland collates information according to district command unit and cannot supply information broken down by Westminster constituency.


24 July 2006 : Column 917W

24 July 2006 : Column 918W
Persons charged for intent to supply:
(a) Cannabis (b) Cocaine (c) Crack cocaine
DCU 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Antrim

2

1

11

(1)3

3

0

2

1

7

Ards

11

4

8

0

0

1

8

5

7

East Belfast

10

5

5

1

0

5

6

3

3

North Belfast

8

14

8

1

1

5

3

3

5

South Belfast

7

7

8

1

2

4

3

9

6

West Belfast

3

5

5

0

1

0

0

0

4

Carrickfergus

8

3

1

3

2

0

2

3

2

Castlereagh

13

8

1

0

1

1

5

0

3

Larne

9

0

1

0

0

0

4

1

3

Lisburn

16

26

7

3

2

1

9

13

8

Newtownabbey

9

4

8

3

0

0

6

1

1

North Down

14

15

8

4

1

0

7

5

5

Urban

110

92

71

19

13

17

55

44

54

Armagh

3

4

8

1

0

1

5

1

6

Banbridge

9

4

1

0

0

0

5

2

1

Ballymena

11

7

11

0

0

2

4

11

8

Ballymoney

1

3

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

Coleraine

13

10

12

0

1

3

13

15

17

Cookstown

4

1

0

0

4

0

7

11

2

Craigavon

6

7

2

0

4

2

6

4

2

Dungannon

4

2

1

2

0

3

1

1

3

Down

5

1

9

0

0

1

1

5

3

Fermanagh

14

5

6

0

0

2

4

6

3

Foyle

5

5

6

1

2

5

7

10

10

Limavady

4

5

12

0

0

0

5

6

4

Magherafelt

2

7

1

0

0

1

2

2

1

Moyle

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Newry and Mourne

6

1

4

0

1

3

1

1

3

Omagh

4

7

5

0

0

0

1

4

3

Strabane

4

1

3

0

0

2

2

3

1

Rural

95

70

82

5

12

25

64

82

67

Northern Ireland(2)

205

162

153

24

25

42

119

126

121

(1) (c) One person was charged with intent to supply crack cocaine in Antrim DCU in 2003-04. (2) As one person can be charged for supply of several different drug types, the total number of persons charged with intent to supply cannot be derived by adding the totals for cannabis, cocaine and others together. Note: Please note other includes Amphetamine, Steroids, Benzodiazepines, Heroin, LSD, MDMA (Ecstasy), Methadone, Morphine, Psilocin (Magic Mushrooms) and Stanozolol. Should a person be charged with intent to supply more than one of these drug types, they are only included once.

Environmental Management

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. [81188]

David Cairns: The Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy, published on 9 May 2006 identifies the implementation of environmental management systems as a mechanism that will reinforce progress made, and being made, in the improvement of the sustainable development profile of the Northern Ireland Government Estate.

Sustainable Development Action Plans are currently being developed by Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office in line with a commitment made in the Sustainable Development Strategy. Each department will set out in its action plan with regard to the implementation of environmental management systems.

It will be for each department to decide which of the available standards such as ISO 14001, EMAS, the European eco audit scheme, etc. is most appropriate for the management of its own estate. A number of Departments have environmental management systems in place, some of these accredited to ISO 14001 and some to other standards.

Greyhounds

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he plans to take to promote the welfare of greyhounds in the Province. [87994]

David Cairns: Under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, all animals are protected from unnecessary cruelty or suffering, although there are no specific provisions on the welfare of racing greyhounds.

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (NI) officials are currently finalising a review of animal welfare legislation aimed at identifying measures needed to strengthen powers to deal with animal welfare abuses and will consult stakeholders on proposals for new animal welfare legislation shortly. It is anticipated that the consultation document will include proposals to better regulate the animal welfare aspects of greyhound racing, and stakeholders will be asked to consider what, if any, specific issues might be included in any new legislation to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds.

Language Support

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the range and nature is of language support services available to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland; and how much was available for language support services in each Education and Library Board area in each of the last four academic years. [86564]

Maria Eagle: The Education and Library Boards (ELBs) are responsible for ensuring that appropriate support arrangements are in place for children who have significant difficulty with English as an additional language (EAL). The range and nature of language support services available to both primary and secondary schools varies within each ELB area. Some ELBs provide peripatetic teaching staff, some offer schools the opportunity to “buy in” peripatetic services, whilst others provide support through advisers. In addition, some Boards make available interpreting services in certain languages.

The Department of Education provides earmarked funding, which must be used solely for English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision, to the Education and Library Boards. This funding was originally distributed equally across the five Boards but since 2004-05 funding has been distributed on a per capita basis for each EAL pupil recorded in the school census. The funding by ELB by financial year is shown in the following table:

Allocation
£
Board 2003-04 2004-05 (Allocated gradually) 2005-06 2006-07

BELB

80,000

110,000

159,000

160,000

NEELB

80,000

72,000

92,000

96,000

SEELB

80,000

85,000

112,000

96,000

SELB

80,000

85,000

153,000

177,000

WELB

80,000

58,000

54,000

52,000

Total

400,000

410,000

570,000

581,000


24 July 2006 : Column 919W

Since 2005-06 funding, additional to that provided to the ELBs, is given direct to schools through the Common Funding Formula. This funding, which is not earmarked, includes an EAL factor that targets resources directly to schools with EAL pupils. The cash value for each EAL pupil identified in the school census was £864 in 2005-06 and £912 in 2006-07. The funding by ELB by financial year is shown in the following table:

Allocations to schools
£
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

BELB(1)

73,000

129,000

432,000

614,000

NEELB

287,000

441,000

SEELB

344,000

379,000

SELB

462,000

885,000

WELB

162,000

218,000

Total

73,000

129,000

1,687,000

2,537,000

(1 )BELB were the only funding authority to distribute resources to schools from an EAL factor within its Local Management Schools formula, prior to the introduction of Common Funding from 2005-06.

In addition, £100,000 has been allocated in 2006-07 and £75,000 in 2007-08 within the Children and Young People's Package for regional interpreting and translation of documents services for teachers, EAL pupils and their parents.

The Department is working with the ELBs to develop a comprehensive policy and a proposal for a regional EAL service.

Local Government Finance

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the remuneration is for the chief executives of local councils in Northern Ireland; and what remuneration is proposed for the new chief executive posts. [86946]

David Cairns: The remuneration for chief executives of district councils is negotiated by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Chief Executives Northern Ireland. Currently their salary scales range from £64,185 to £109,503, however, actual salary costs are not held centrally. The issue of remuneration for the new local government chief executive posts will be considered as part of the process of implementing the Review of Public Administration.

Newly Qualified Teachers

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many recently qualified teachers in Northern Ireland have failed to gain a post one year after qualifying; and if he will make a statement. [86309]

Maria Eagle: Destination of Leavers from higher education data are collected by HESA six months after graduation but not thereafter, therefore no data are available one year after graduation. Of the 704 teachers who qualified from Northern Ireland higher education institutions in 2004-05 and had Destination of Leavers data returned to HESA, 104 had not gained a teaching professional post six months after graduation.


24 July 2006 : Column 920W

Out-of-classroom Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what barriers he has identified to effective out-of-classroom education in secondary schools in Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking to overcome them. [86917]

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education has not carried out any formal assessment of the barriers to effective out-of-classroom education in secondary schools in Northern Ireland. Delivery of the curriculum, including out-of-classroom learning, is a matter for schools to determine, with the support of the Education and Library Boards.

As part of the Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy, Government have already committed to promoting the use of the Education and Library Boards' “Education for Sustainable Development Good Practice Guide” in all schools. This guide includes information on education outside the classroom.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will issue guidance on out-of classroom education as part of the Northern Ireland secondary school curriculum; [86918]

(2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that every secondary school child in Northern Ireland has the opportunity to experience out-of-classroom learning in the natural environment. [86920]

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education specifies the minimum curricular content that schools are required to provide but does not specify how the curriculum should be delivered. It is therefore a matter for schools, with the support of the Education and Library Boards, to determine what out-of-classroom learning opportunities they provide. As part of the Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy, Government have already committed to promoting the use of the Education and Library Boards’ “Education for Sustainable Development Good Practice Guide” in all schools. This guide includes information on education outside the classroom.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions his Department has had with the Education and Library Board chief executives to promote outdoor learning in secondary schools in Northern Ireland. [86919]

Maria Eagle: There have been no meetings between the Department and the chief executives of the education and library boards, specifically, to discuss the promotion of outdoor learning.

Paediatric Cardiology

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children are awaiting an initial paediatric cardiology assessment in the Province. [74628]

Paul Goggins [pursuant to the reply, 6 June 2006, Official Report c. 559W]: I am now in a position to provide the information requested.


24 July 2006 : Column 921W

The number of children awaiting an initial paediatric cardiology assessment in each applicable Health and Social Service Trust at 26 May 2006 is provided in the following table:

Health and Social Service Trust Number of Children waiting for an initial outpatient paediatric cardiology appointment at 26 May 2006

Altnagelvin Group(1)

39

Causeway

13

Craigavon Area Hospital Group(1)

84

Royal Group of Hospitals

681

Ulster Community and Hospitals(2)

96

United Hospitals Group

58

NI Total

971

(1) Altnagelvin Group and Craigavon Group trusts provided numbers waiting at 30 April 2006. (2) Subsequent to when this answer was initially prepared, Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust provided numbers waiting at31 May 2006. Source: Health and Social Services Trusts

Parliamentary Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which bodies each Department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, consults (a) formally and (b) informally on parliamentary (i) questions and (ii) draft answers on Northern Ireland matters tabled by hon. Members from (A) Northern Ireland and (B) constituencies in Great Britain. [88253]

Mr. Hain: When drafting responses to parliamentary questions, my officials contact whichever bodies are necessary to provide the correct information. These bodies range from government agencies, non-departmental public bodies and other Whitehall departments to outside organisations in receipt of public funds. These contacts can be on a formal or informal basis. Where appropriate, I will ask those bodies with operational autonomy to write to hon. Members in response to parliamentary questions. Apart from those instances, all answers to hon. Member’s questions are cleared at ministerial level.

Pensioners

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of pensioners’ homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in the last period for which figures are available. [87286]

Mr. Hanson: The information is not available. The Decent Homes Standard applies only to social housing. The Interim House Condition Survey identified 32,000 homes as failing to meet the Standard but did not disaggregate the figures into particular age categories.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in Northern Ireland who have home internet access. [87290]


24 July 2006 : Column 922W

Mr. Hanson: While it is currently not possible to specify the exact number of pensioners in Northern Ireland who have home internet access, the most recent NISRA Omnibus Survey (March 2006) indicates that some 11 per cent. of respondents aged 65 and over in Northern Ireland claim to access the internet from home. This rises to 14 per cent. who regularly make use of the internet and 24 per cent. who have access to an internet-enabled PC.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average amount pensioners in Northern Ireland spend on (a) food and non-alcoholic drink, (b) electricity and (c) fuel each week. [87292]

Mr. Hanson: Average weekly expenditure for pensioner households in Northern Ireland on the following commodities/services are as follows:

Expenditure (£)

Food and non-alcoholic drinks

24.90

Electricity

6.00

Fuel (other fuels and gas)

10.70

Source: Northern Ireland Expenditure and Food Survey (EPS) 2004-05.

The definition of a pensioner household and the expenditure categories detailed in the table are consistent with those published for the UK, by the Office for National Statistics, in ‘Family Spending: A report on the 2004-05 Expenditure and Food Survey’.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of pensioner households in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland are classified as fuel poor. [87293]

Mr. Hanson: The 2004 Interim House Condition Survey collected fuel poverty information on a Northern Ireland wide basis. Due to the small sample size it is not possible to break down the information into parliamentary constituency or district council area. The Survey did, however, indicate that 54 per cent. (82,310) of fuel poor households are headed by someone aged 60 or over.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of pensioners in Northern Ireland did not take up their eligibility to (a) pension credit and (b) housing benefit in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to ensure pensioners are informed of their benefit entitlements. [87294]

Mr. Hanson: It is not possible to provide estimates of pensioners in Northern Ireland who did not take up their eligibility to pension credit and housing benefit.

Benefit uptake

The Social Security Agency (SSA) promotes the range of benefits for pensioners through pension tele-centres in Belfast and Londonderry, the internet, promotional leaflets and regional benefit uptake events. A network of pension advisers is also located in its 35 jobs and benefit offices/social security offices.


24 July 2006 : Column 923W

The 2005-06 Benefit Uptake Strategy piloted a number of exercises targeting 3,750 pensioners offering them a comprehensive benefit assessment. Of those targeted by the 2005-06 strategy 10 per cent. made successful claims; resulting in £400,000 paid in arrears and an average weekly increase of £30 for each successful customer amounting to additional yearly benefit spend of £575,000.

The 2006-07 expanded programme is targeting 35,000 clients including older people, people with disabilities and carers. Of the 35,000 clients being targeted 33,000 are older people.

The SSA has been working in partnership with the NI Housing Executive (NIHE) to promote uptake of housing benefit (HB) among the elderly. An exercise last year identified those in receipt of pension credit (PC), living in rented accommodation hut not receiving HB. 23,765 people were contacted by the Agency and invited to apply for HB with the latest figures indicating 6,071 applications issued, with 3,923 (65 per cent.) having been returned and passed to either the NIHE or Rate Collection Agency for assessment.

All new PC claimants are now also invited to apply for HB when making their claim for PC.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 18W, on police, whether the cheque written by the Northern Ireland Police Fund to L’Estrange and Brett Solicitors was queried by his Department (a) as part of a financial return to his Department and (b) at the end of the financial year in question. [87743]

Paul Goggins: The Department has not queried any details contained in either financial returns or end of year financial reports received from the Northern Ireland Police Fund for the financial year in question.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many resignations of senior police officers in each district command unit have occurred in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [86300]

Paul Goggins: The total number of senior PSNI officers (inspector rank and above) that have resigned from the service within the period 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2006 is three. This figure includes one chief inspector from Newtownabbey DCU and two inspectors—one from Lisburn DCU and one from Magherafelt.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 20W, on police, when it was decided to replace staff recruited externally with Northern Ireland Office (NIO) staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund; who made the decision to replace staff recruited externally with NIO staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund; and for what reason it was decided to replace staff recruited externally with NIO staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund. [87684]


24 July 2006 : Column 924W

Paul Goggins: Recruitment of staff to the Northern Ireland Police Fund is a matter for the fund.

Railway Safety

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fatalities have occurred on railway lines in Northern Ireland in the last three years; what action has been taken (a) to secure access to train lines and (b) to improve safety at level crossings; and if he will make a statement. [86304]

David Cairns: Translink have advised that there have been six fatalities on the railway lines in Northern Ireland over the last three years.

Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) continually reviews safety with regard to access to railway lines and engages in a wide range of activities to prevent accidents. In this respect NIR recognises that a partnership is required between the public and Translink. By their nature it is not possible to totally separate rail lines from public access as access to and across tracks is required at various defined points.

NIR has spent over £8 million upgrading either half or full barriers at public level crossings in the last five years. CCTV also protects full barrier crossings and the crossings are inspected on a quarterly basis for maintenance purposes. These crossings are also subject to Level Crossing Orders made under the Transport Act (Northern Ireland) 1967. Furthermore, they are also subject to a tripartite annual safety inspection involving NIR, PSNI and Roads Service.

NIR has developed a comprehensive risk model covering all private user accommodation crossings and has a programme of improvements and closures in progress to reduce overall risk. User worked crossings are inspected twice a year with access points, where defined, protected by a number of means including user worked gates and arras boards (planking laid on the ground) to discourage people and animals from going onto the track.

Recycling

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what initiatives are in place to promote recycling awareness in primary schools in Northern Ireland. [87130]

David Cairns: Significant progress has been made across all sectors to integrate resource and waste management into the teaching curriculum for Northern Ireland primary schools.

The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS)'s Wake Up to Waste awareness programme is providing targeted resources (including lesson plans, games and activities) for teachers that enable resource and waste management to be tied into the everyday teaching of all key stage groups. In addition, this approach is supplemented by the qualified teachers employed at each of the EHS's Environmental Education Centres across Northern Ireland, who have integrated waste education into their teaching programme.


24 July 2006 : Column 925W

District councils have waste management education officers, who visit primary schools on a regular basis, raising awareness of how to prevent and recycle waste. In March 2006, EHS launched its Waste Education Resource Pack to provide support, guidance and practical tools for these officers.

Non-governmental organisations funded by EHS also provide education officers to deliver waste education programmes in primary schools throughout Northern Ireland over the next three years.

Redundancy

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 22W, on redundancy, if the redundancy terms granted to employees of the Northern Ireland Police Fund who were laid off were (a) forwarded to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and (b) approved by the NIO in advance of their being agreed with staff. [87683]

Paul Goggins: Redundancy terms for staff employed by the Northern Ireland Police Fund are matters for the fund.

Registered Charities

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the registered charities in Northern Ireland. [87538]

Mr. Hanson: At present, charities in Northern Ireland are not registered. On 17 July 2006 I launched a
24 July 2006 : Column 926W
public consultation about proposed new Northern Ireland charities legislation which will, inter alia, create a Northern Ireland Register of Charities and require all charities operating in Northern Ireland to register.

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce a medal to mark the bravery and service of Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers on the seas around Northern Ireland. [65092]

Mr. Hain: Her Majesty The Queen is advised by the Committee on the grant of honours, decorations and medals on all matters to do with honours and medals. My department has no plans to recommend the introduction of such a medal to the Committee.

Road Safety

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths occurred on Northern Ireland’s roads involving (a) cyclists and (b) motorbike riders and pillion passengers over the last three years, broken down by Westminster constituency. [86320]

Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided as follows. The Police Service of Northern Ireland collates information according to district command unit and cannot supply information broken down by Westminster constituency.


24 July 2006 : Column 927W

24 July 2006 : Column 928W
Number of motorcycle, pedal cycle and pillion passenger fatalities, 2003 to 2005
2003 2004 2005
DCU Pillion Motor cyclist Pedal cyclist Pillion Motor cyclist Pedal cyclist Pillion Motor cyclist Pedal cyclist

Antrim

0

1

1

0

2

0

0

1

1

Ards

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Armagh

0

1

0

0

2

0

0

0

1

Banbridge

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

East Belfast

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

North Belfast

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

South Belfast

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

West Belfast

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

Ballymena

1

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

Ballymoney

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

Carrickfergus

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Coleraine

0

2

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

Cookstown

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Craigavon

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Castlereagh

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

Dungannon and South Tyrone

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

2

0

Down

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

Fermanagh

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

1

0

Foyle

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

Larne

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Limavady

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

Lisburn

0

0

1

0

2

0

0

2

0

Magherafelt

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

1

0

Moyle

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

Newtownabbey

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

North Down

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

1

0

Newry and Mourne

0

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Omagh

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Strabane

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

Total

2

20

2

0

22

2

1

14

4


Science Teachers

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many unfilled vacancies there are for science teachers in secondary schools within each education and library board. [86921]

Maria Eagle: Since vacancies are identified by boards of governors in accordance with the staffing complement they determine under LMS, the information is not currently held by the Department of Education nor by the relevant employing authorities, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department of Education will carry out an annual survey of teacher vacancies in schools, the first in the autumn of this year, similar to that undertaken annually by DfES in January each year.

Secondary School Trips

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the risk assessment system is for secondary school trips in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [86922]

Maria Eagle: The Department advises schools to carry out a risk assessment when they are planning trips. In 2002 the Department issued comprehensive guidance to schools entitled “Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits”, which was published by the then Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). The Education and Library Boards provided their own guidance to schools in 2004. Both sets of guidance provide advice on carrying out risk assessment, including evaluating potential risks, putting control measures or mitigations in place and informing all relevant people.

Sports Facilities

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of schools in Northern Ireland provided two hours of sports participation for pupils in the last period for which figures are available. [85440]

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education does not collect information on the amount of time schools allocate to any area within the curriculum, therefore the information requested is not available. It is a matter for individual schools to determine how much time they allocate to any subject but the Department has advised schools to provide at least two hours of physical education, including sport, each week.

The Government recognise the importance of physical activity for the long-term health and wellbeing of the community. Therefore physical education is, and will remain, a compulsory part of the Northern Ireland curriculum.

Sustainable Buildings

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure newly-built public buildings in Northern Ireland incorporate energy efficient measures. [80950]

Mr. Hanson: A number of steps are being taken to ensure newly built public buildings in NI use energy efficient measures. These are:

    (i) A revision to the NI Building Regulations will apply from the end of November 2006. This will mean an improvement of around 40 per cent. on current energy standards.

    (ii) The Achieving Excellence Agenda for Construction. Under this agenda, a Policy Framework for Construction Procurement has been developed and implemented. The policy framework requires that, for all new Government buildings, energy efficiency measures over and above those required by the building regulations should be considered. These measures include low carbon design, energy targets, whole life costing and energy efficiency and management. In addition all new Government buildings should minimise energy used in construction and should aim to achieve a rating of Excellent using the Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method (BREEAM).

Tolerance Promotion

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what strategies his Department has in place to (a) combat racism and (b) promote tolerance between different ethnic groups within Northern Ireland. [86551]

Mr. Hanson: The Government's Racial Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland and A Shared Future (Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland) provides the framework for Government and wider civic society to combat racism and sectarianism and to promote good relations. Both are supported by action plans which set out the practical steps to be taken by Government Departments and their agencies to promote racial equality and good relations.

In addition, the Criminal Justice (No2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 “hate crime” deals with crimes motivated or aggravated by hatred based on race, religion, disability or sexual orientation. This legislation gives courts the power to increase prison sentences if it is proven that crimes are motivated by hatred.


24 July 2006 : Column 929W

Tourism

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tourists he expects to come to Northern Ireland in 2006; and how many came in each of the last three years. [86322]

Maria Eagle: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board's (NITB) Tourism Barometer implemented in June indicates a good 2006 performance to date by all tourism business sectors and a positive outlook for the summer period. Accommodation occupancy surveys also support evidence of a positive start to the year. 2006 visitor number forecasts for full year are not yet available. The table indicates the number of visitors in the last three years.

Visitor Performance, 2003-05
Number

2005

1,972,000

2004

1,985,000

2003

1,896,000


Untaxed Vehicles

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many untaxed vehicles are estimated to be on Northern Ireland's roads. [86578]

David Cairns: A nationwide Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion Survey was undertaken by the Department for Transport during June 2005. The results showed that the vehicle excise evasion rate in traffic in Northern Ireland had fallen from 7.2 per cent. in the 2004 survey to 5.4 per cent. in 2005.

Although 52,552 vehicles were surveyed in Northern Ireland, the sample size was insufficient to calculate a precise figure of evasion in vehicle stock. However, based on the in traffic evasion rate measured in the survey, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland estimates that the number of untaxed vehicles on Northern Ireland roads is approximately 50,000.

Another Vehicle Excise Evasion Survey has been carried out in June 2006 and it is anticipated that the results will be available in the autumn.

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many untaxed cars have been removed from the roads in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [86583]


24 July 2006 : Column 930W

David Cairns: The number of untaxed vehicles clamped/seized from the roads in Northern Ireland in each of the last five operational years is:

Number

2001-02

413

2002-03

2,872

2003-04

1,435

2004-05

1,899

2005-06

5,343


Vocational Training

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vocational training places are available in Northern Ireland for 16 year olds; and how many places were filled in 2004-05. [85442]

Maria Eagle: The Jobskills programme provides the guarantee of a training place for all 16 and 17-year-old school leavers wishing to avail of the opportunity for vocational training. It is not possible to split the data between 16 and 17-year-olds, however, in the 2004-05 financial year, 6,985 16 and 17-year-olds commenced the Jobskills programme.

Water Tax

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what average water tax (a) lump sum figure and (b) capital value levy will be charged on domestic households in (i) Northern Ireland as a whole and (ii) each district in Northern Ireland in 2007-08; [86814]

(2) what the latest estimate is of the average water tax bill per dwelling that will be paid in 2007-08 in (a) Northern Ireland as a whole and (b) each district in Northern Ireland. [86818]

David Cairns: The currently available capital value data enable information to be provided on the estimated average unmeasured bills for properties throughout Northern Ireland and within each local government district. The variable charge element of the bill is based on property capital value.

The data in the following table show the estimated charges that would be payable in 2007-08—this is one-third of the full charge because charges are being phased in over three years from 1( )April 2007.


24 July 2006 : Column 931W

24 July 2006 : Column 932W
Estimated average unmeasured bills for Northern Ireland domestic properties, 2007-08
Water charge Sewerage charge
Standing Average variable Total water Standing Average variable Total sewerage Overall total water and sewerage charges

Northern Ireland

17

34

50

18

36

54

104

Antrim

17

31

48

18

31

50

98

Ards

17

38

54

18

40

58

112

Armagh

17

32

49

18

30

49

98

Ballymena

17

32

49

18

33

51

100

Ballymoney

17

30

47

18

31

50

97

Banbridge

17

32

49

18

31

49

98

Belfast

17

34

50

18

38

55

105

Carrickfergus

17

30

47

18

33

52

99

Castlereagh

17

39

56

18

43

62

118

Coleraine

17

36

53

18

40

58

111

Cookstown

17

34

51

18

35

53

105

Craigavon

17

27

44

18

28

47

91

Derry

17

28

45

18

31

49

94

Down

17

35

52

18

36

54

107

Dungannon

17

33

50

18

34

52

102

Fermanagh

17

32

49

18

32

51

100

Larne

17

27

44

18

28

47

91

Limavady

17

29

46

18

30

48

95

Lisburn

17

37

53

18

38

56

109

Magherafelt

17

33

50

18

35

53

104

Moyle

17

34

51

18

36

54

105

Newry and Mourne

17

36

53

18

36

54

107

Newtownabbey

17

31

48

18

34

53

101

North Down

17

44

61

18

48

66

127

Omagh

17

30

47

18

30

48

95

Strabane

17

25

42

18

26

44

87

Note: Totals might not add up due to rounding.

Constitutional Affairs

1901 Census

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what income has been received from the release of sections of the Online 1901 Census in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [86284]

Vera Baird: The National Archives has not released sections of the 1901 Census in the last 12 months.

The whole of the 1901 Census was released to the public in January 2002.

Adoption Placements

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what average time was taken to obtain a court date from the time of application for an adoption placement order in (a) London and (b) other parts of England in the latest period for which figures are available. [87149]

Ms Harman: The average time taken to obtain a court date from the time of application in adoption cases over the last two financial years is as follows:

(a) London
Weeks

2004-05

4.65

2005-06

6.02


(b) Nationally
Weeks

2004-05

5.56

2005-06

5.71


Coroners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to reduce delays in the coroners’ service. [84516]

Ms Harman: There are measures in the draft Coroners Bill which will assist coroners to operate more effectively, in particular the appointment of a Chief Coroner to provide national leadership and to introduce national standards, including on the timely hearing of inquests. The Chief Coroner will have oversight of the workload of coroners and, subject to the views of relatives and other interested parties and taking account of the requirements of the new coroners charter for bereaved people, he or she will be able to reallocate cases to reduce the length of time it takes for an investigation to be completed. The Chief Coroner will make an annual report to the Lord Chancellor on the performance of the coroner system and, in turn, the Lord Chancellor will ensure the report is laid before Parliament. A Coronial Advisory Council will also be appointed to provide advice, and make recommendations, to the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor on any matters relating to the operation of the coroner system.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what mechanisms are available to members of the public to make complaints about coroners. [84576]


24 July 2006 : Column 933W

Ms Harman: In the event that a complainant is unable to resolve the matter with the coroner, a complaint about the personal conduct of a coroner can be made to the Office for Judicial Complaints. Coroners were brought into the remit of the disciplinary provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 on 3 April 2006. Regulations made under the Act, entitled “Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006”, set out the responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice, and the Office for Judicial Complaints, with regard to the handling of complaints and the discipline of judicial office holders. Further information is available on the website of the Office for Judicial Complaints, at www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk.

Where a member of the public wishes to challenge a judicial decision made by a coroner, this must be pursued through the court process. The draft Coroners Bill provides for new appeal arrangements which will make it easier for the public to seek review of coroners' decisions, relating to both an investigation and an inquest. The procedure for complaining about coroners' personal conduct will remain the same.

Correspondence

Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Ceredigion of 14 March 2006 to the former Foreign Secretary, regarding Mr. Toby Glaister. [86348]

Ms Harman: The right hon. the Baroness Ashton of Upholland wrote to the hon. Member on 28 April 2006 in response to his letter of 14 March 2006 to the Foreign Secretary. I apologise that the letter of 28 April omitted to say that the letter of 14 March was transferred to my Department for reply.

Courts Service

Mr. Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the budget for 2006-07 is for the Courts Service in (a) Dorset, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) Wiltshire; and what changes will be made to the budget as a result of the restructuring in October; [87480]

(2) what consultation was carried out prior to the decision to amalgamate the Dorset Courts Board with the Wiltshire Courts Board and the Gloucestershire Courts Board from October; and what the effect of the restructuring will be upon the Courts Service in Dorset; [87481]

(3) how many people are employed by the Courts Service in (a) Dorset, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) Wiltshire; and how many jobs will be lost in each county as a result of the restructuring in October. [87483]

Ms Harman: The budget allocation for FY 2006-07 is: Dorset—£7.647 million; Gloucestershire—£5.644 million; and Wiltshire—£6.620 million. Re-structuring will not be completed until 31 March 2007 and no changes will be made to the FY2006-07 budget allocations for these three areas as a result of the re-structuring exercise. The appropriate budget allocation for the new amalgamated
24 July 2006 : Column 934W
Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire area will be determined in due course as part of the annual financial planning cycle.

Under the provisions of the Courts Act 2003, Section 4, the Lord Chancellor may make orders altering the HMCS areas but, before doing so, must consult any Courts Board(s) affected. This process has been invoked and each of the existing Court Boards have been invited to express their views by 31 July 2006. It is anticipated that the separate Courts Boards for Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will continue to operate in their current form until the end of FY 2006-07. Meanwhile, arrangements will be made to select members for a new single Courts Board which will correspond to the amalgamated Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire area. This will be done in close liaison with the Chairmen and Members of the existing bodies. Delivery of the service to court users in Dorset (as with Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) will not be affected by the re-structuring, and support to the judiciary at bench and court level will remain as it is now.

The number of people employed by Her Majesty’s Courts Service in the three areas (expressed as full-time equivalents) as at June 2006 is: Dorset—219; Gloucestershire—163; and Wiltshire—193. While the precise management structure for the amalgamated area cannot be determined until a new Area Director has been appointed in October 2006, it is likely that re-structuring will directly affect only a very small number of senior management posts and those more junior staff who directly support them, leaving the courts operational staff unaffected. It is anticipated that this will be achieved through a combination of redeployment, natural wastage and targeted voluntary redundancy. Trades Unions will be consulted, at every stage.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of the staff in her Department is (a) male, (b) female and (c) disabled, broken down by grade. [69032]

Ms Harman: The statistics requested are as at 31 December 2005 in the following tables. Declaration of a disability is voluntary and the statistics are therefore based on the number of respondents to a confidential questionnaire, which all staff are asked to complete, and not total staff.

Staff from the 42 former magistrates courts areas were transferred into DCA in April 2005. They operate different terms and conditions, including grade structures, which do not map into known government grades. For that reason figures have been shown separately and can only be presented as an overall figure.


24 July 2006 : Column 935W
Table 1: DCA gender/disability broken down by grade (excluding magistrates courts)
Percentage
Government grade Female Male Declared disability

AA

62.84

37.16

4.95

AO

69.55

30.45

4.41

EO

68.47

31.53

3.50

EO(h)/HEO(l)

48.44

51.56

3.97

HEO

61.47

38.53

4.33

SEO

51.53

48.47

3.21

G7

49.38

50.62

3.53

G6

43.00

57.00

1.93

SCS

36.36

63.64

1.30

Grand total

64.57

35.43

4.13


Table 2: Magistrates courts gender/disability, all grades
Percentage
Government grade Female Male Declared disability

All

70.99

29.01

1.33


Digital Documents

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure the long-term preservation of documents held in digital form. [88290]

Ms Harman: The National Archives is working with the Government’s Chief Technical Officers (CTO) Council to address the problem of the survival of electronic records with a mid and long-term value across Government.

The National Archives has implemented a Digital Preservation Programme to ensure the long-term preservation of documents held in digital form. It has established

    a Digital Archive facility, in which it preserves a wide range of electronic records transferred by Government departments;

    a Web Archiving Programme to preserve government websites of long-term value;

    the National Digital Archive of Datasets to preserve historically significant datasets created over the past thirty years.

Dr. David Kelly

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 26 June 2006, Official Report, column 304W, on Dr. David Kelly, if she will list the occasions since 1 January 2003 when (a) the Lord Chancellor and (b) (i) Ministers and (ii) officials from her Department have met (A) the Deputy Coroner of Oxfordshire, (B) the Assistant Deputy Coroner of Oxfordshire and (C) anyone else responsible to the Oxfordshire Coroner. [83773]

Ms Harman: There has been one meeting between my officials and one of the newly appointed assistant deputy coroners of the Oxfordshire jurisdiction to discuss progress on the inquests into those who have died in the Iraq conflict.

Family Courts

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions during 2005-06 parents involved in cases in the Family Court were informed of a delay to the reports required by the court. [86963]


24 July 2006 : Column 936W

Ms Harman: The information requested is not collected.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what recent discussions she has had with the judiciary about the openness of family courts; [84554]

(2) when she last met the President of the Family Division. [84556]

Ms Harman: Since being appointed as Minister for Family Justice, I have discussed openness of the family courts with a wide range of stakeholders. Members of the judiciary included:

    Sir Mark Potter, President, and Lord Justice Thorpe;

    Mr. Justice Ryder;

    Mrs. Justice Black and Mr. Justice McFarlane;

    District Judge (Magistrates Courts) Crichton; and

    Margaret Wilson JP.

I have also visited Wells Street and Croydon family proceedings courts where I met a number of magistrates; and I have spoken at the President's Conference, which was attended by 97 members of the judiciary, and to the Greater London Family Panel, which was attended by 90 members of the judiciary.

I last met the President of the Family Division on3 July 2006.

FOI Officers

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance she has issued to freedom of information officers to assist them in recognising the circumstances in which they should apply environmental information regulations rather than the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [88291]

Ms Harman: On 5 June 2006, my Department published guidance on examining the key differences between the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act). This guidance was specifically designed to assist freedom of information officers in recognising circumstances in which they should apply the EIRs rather than the FOI Act. The guidance is called “EIR/FOI Boundaries Guidance” and can be found at www.foigov.uk. My Department and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs continue to provide advice and assistance to Departments on the interpretation of the FOI Act and the EIRs.

Gravestones

Mr. Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what response the Government have made to reports of the Local Government Ombudsman on the inappropriate (a) destruction and (b) moving of gravestones by local authorities. [88231]

Ms Harman: The Local Government Ombudsmen's special report on memorial safety in local authority cemeteries was a helpful and timely reminder to local authorities that it should normally be unnecessary to lay down large numbers of gravestones.


24 July 2006 : Column 937W

The Government are considering what further advice and guidance it may be appropriate to issue on this matter.

Home Repossession

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court orders have been made for the repossession of homes in each London borough since 1987. [87242]

Ms Harman: The following table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made in all London county courts since 1987.


24 July 2006 : Column 938W

The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, county courts’ jurisdictions are not coterminous with London borough boundaries, and therefore any single court’s repossession actions are likely to relate to homes in a number of different boroughs.

These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.

Number of mortgage( 1) possession orders made in county courts( 2) in London, 1987-2005
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

Brent

349

311

372

272

821

345

332

248

117

Bow

470

724

1832

1614

1974

1046

1183

563

421

Brentford

313

475

568

588

965

779

445

273

236

Bromley

401

461

557

405

811

486

447

340

285

Central London

0

0

0

0

0

585

885

585

537

Clerkenwell

72

102

96

120

225

353

245

120

221

Croydon

549

357

470

1256

2306

816

672

593

542

Edmonton

509

261

860

682

815

1016

713

369

534

Ilford

172

452

283

386

484

386

319

186

146

Kingston-upon-Thames

161

134

215

479

465

499

369

292

259

Lambeth

203

587

397

505

421

649

337

291

319

Mayors and City

0

0

0

11

4

5

7

3

11

Romford

309

286

425

434

579

412

271

180

202

Shorditch

135

104

145

195

222

256

268

99

120

Uxbridge

302

265

329

697

562

435

407

321

335

Wandsworth

213

193

588

497

607

443

478

375

287

West London

146

133

189

323

380

380

249

168

236

Willesden

440

510

578

1965

1650

1114

943

1635

1095

Woolwich

171

228

268

209

425

395

255

156

143

Bloomsbury

220

358

495

466

643

973

(4)

(4)

(4)

Westminster

11

62

54

42

41

36

(4)

(4)

(4)

London total

5,146

6,003

8,721

11,146

14,400

11,409

8,825

6,797

6,046



24 July 2006 : Column 939W

24 July 2006 : Column 940W
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Brent

123

66

48

115

78

66

100

97

143

302

Bow

520

389

709

662

291

176

248

295

456

817

Brentford

225

103

216

222

138

110

113

124

189

290

Bromley

218

186

164

154

163

103

161

235

271

486

Central London

303

83

104

26

52

43

88

101

162

281

Clerkenwell

61

65

80

104

33

31

35

59

78

132

Croydon

485

392

372

301

252

257

254

338

394

644

Edmonton

365

602

296

175

143

176

206

228

285

553

Ilford

216

137

223

127

120

105

115

93

219

309

Kingston-upon-Thames

283

222

140

138

88

58

58

91

94

165

Lambeth

177

139

131

43

66

117

160

195

311

533

Mayors and City

3

0

2

2

2

1

1

0

2

0

Romford

137

172

123

119

100

111

118

179

211

445

Shorditch

114

97

110

285

45

48

80

113

155

225

Uxbridge

254

94

159

192

143

108

100

98

149

227

Wandsworth

344

206

144

247

59

96

100

135

187

295

West London

238

115

75

43

41

40

40

64

79

150

Willesden

613

251

332

310

168

155

147

236

255

459

Woolwich

134

107

88

97

91

53

96

96

181

348

Bloomsbury

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

Westminster

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

(4)

London Total

4,813

3,426

3,516

3,362

2,073

1,854

2,220

2,777

3,821

6,661

(1) Local authority and private.
(2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.
(3) For the years 1987 to 1989, “Suspended orders” were not separately counted. They are thus included in “Orders made”.
(4) Court closed.

Information Commissioner

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she plans to make an announcement on the budget for the Information Commissioner's Office. [88294]

Ms Harman: I have no plans to make an announcement on the budget for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The Commissioner's budget is derived from two sources. His data protection work is funded by notification fees payable under the Data Protection Act 1998. His freedom of information work is funded by grant in aid. On 18 April 2006, Baroness Ashton announced to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee that an additional £550,000 in funding would be provided to the ICO. This means that the total grant in aid for the ICO for 2006-07 is £5,550,000.

Magistrates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates there are in courts in each London borough, broken down by (a) age, (b) ethnicity and (c) sex. [87713]

Ms Harman: Magistrates are assigned to 28 Local Justice Areas in London. The following table provides a breakdown of the average age, ethnicity and gender of magistrates for each area, as of 20 July 2006.

Ethnicity Gender
Local justice area Total Average age White BME Unknown Female Male

Barking and Dagenham

88

56

71

17

(1)

42

46

Barnet

111

57

93

17

(1)

69

42

Bexley

105

57

93

10

(1)

49

56

Brent

142

57

98

44

(1)

82

60

Bromley

110

57

100

9

(1)

53

57

Camden and Islington

79

56

63

14

(1)

46

33

City of London

136

55

111

25

(1)

75

61

City of Westminster

108

56

90

18

(1)

63

45

Croydon

175

55

143

31

(1)

83

92

Ealing

133

55

95

37

(1)

72

61

Enfield

111

55

85

25

(1)

56

55

Greenwich and Lewisham

71

56

55

14

(1)

45

26

Hackney and Tower Hamlets

62

54

47

15

(1)

30

32

Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea

56

54

43

10

(1)

33

23

Haringey

158

57

135

22

(1)

93

65

Harrow Gore

96

57

76

19

(1)

52

44

Havering

87

57

80

6

(1)

35

52

Hillingdon

115

57

92

20

(1)

57

58

Hounslow

141

55

92

43

6

60

81

Kingston-Upon-Thames

84

56

77

(1)

(1)

49

35

Lambeth and Southwark

72

55

60

11

(1)

44

28

Merton

101

55

88

12

(1)

60

41

Newham

112

54

70

41

(1)

52

60

Redbridge

112

54

80

32

(1)

62

50

Richmond-Upon-Thames

85

58

82

(1)

(1)

49

36

Sutton

91

58

84

5

(1)

41

50

Waltham Forest

106

55

74

32

(1)

48

58

Wandsworth

65

56

49

10

6

38

27

Grand total

2,912

56

2,326

546

40

1,538

1,374

(1) Figures less than five are not quoted following established government statistics guidelines for protecting the confidentiality of data subjects.

24 July 2006 : Column 941W

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage magistrates from ethnic minority backgrounds; and if she will make a statement. [87717]

Ms Harman: We have put in place a range of measures to attract magistrates from ethnic minority backgrounds including:

    informative publicity material about the magistracy to encourage applications from all sections of local communities and to raise awareness among employers;

    a new Working Group of the main employer organisations and the Trade Union Congress has been set up to seek their active support in encouraging employees to join the magistracy;

    funding of the Magistrates Shadowing Scheme run by Operation Black Vote to enable people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups to shadow magistrates in order to gain valuable insight into the roles and responsibilities of a magistrate, and encourage applications.

Progress has been made in increasing diversity among magistrates.

As of 31 March 2005 there were 28,300 magistrates of which 6.7 per cent. were from the Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. As of 31 March 2006 the magistracy
24 July 2006 : Column 942W
increased to 28,865, of which the proportion of those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds rose to 7.2 per cent.

Magistrates Courts

Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many magistrates courts have closed in each year since 1980, broken down into (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement; [84745]

(2) how many magistrates courts have closed in each year since 1980 in (a) rural areas and (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [84990]

Ms Harman: My Department does not hold information on the magistrates courthouse closures which occurred prior to 1995. The following table provides details of the magistrates court closures (broken down into (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas) which took place between 1995 and 2006. HM Courts Service is committed to improving the standard of facilities provided to court users and in delivering greater value for money by increasing courtroom utilization. This includes the modernization and building of new modern courthouses as well as the co-location of magistrates courts with county courts.

Number of magistrates courts closed in each year since 1995( 1)
Rural 75 Rural 50 Significant rural Other urban Large urban Major urban Total number of courts closed

1995

3

1

1

0

2

0

7

1996

8

6

2

2

0

3

21

1997

2

4

3

3

1

8

21

1998

12

4

1

3

2

3

25

1999

1

0

1

2

1

2

7

2000

8

1

0

2

0

2

13

2001

12

7

3

3

3

2

30

2002

5

0

2

0

0

0

7

2003

9

2

1

1

0

0

13

2004

1

0

0

0

0

1

2

2005

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2006

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

(1) The rural constituency classification (introduced by the Rural Evidence Research Centre on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2006) has been used to define whether court closures took place in rural/urban areas. The classification divides constituencies into the following six categories:
Rural 75: Over 75 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements (including 207 large market towns)
Rural 50: Over 50 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements (including 207 large market towns)
Significant rural: More than 37,000 or between 26 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements.
Other urban: Fewer than 37,000 or less than 26 per cent. of the population live in rural settlements;
Large urban: A minimum of 50,000 or 50 per cent. of the population live in a large urban area;
Major urban: A minimum of 100,000 or 50 per cent. of the population live in a major urban area (i.e. over 750,000 of the population).

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts there are in each London borough. [87714]

Ms Harman: The information is as follows.


24 July 2006 : Column 943W

24 July 2006 : Column 944W
Court(s) Borough

Barking Magistrates Court

Barking and Dagenham

Barnet Magistrates Court and Hendon Magistrates Court

Barnet

Bexley Magistrates Court

Bexley

Brent Magistrates Court

Brent

Bromley Magistrates Court

Bromley

(Served by Highbury Corner Magistrates Court)

Camden

City of London Magistrates Court

City of London

City of Westminster Magistrates Court and Marylebone Magistrates Court

City of Westminster

Croydon Magistrates Court

Croydon

Ealing Magistrates Court and Acton Magistrates Court

Ealing

Enfield Magistrates Court

Enfield

Greenwich Magistrates Court, Woolwich Magistrates Court and Belmarsh Magistrates Court

Greenwich

(Served by Thames Magistrates Court)

Hackney

West London Magistrates Court

Hammersmith and Fulham

Haringey Magistrates Court

Haringey

Harrow Magistrates Court

Harrow

Havering Magistrates Court

Havering

Uxbridge Magistrates Court

Hillingdon

Feltham Magistrates Court and Brentford Magistrates Court

Hounslow

Highbury Corner Magistrates Court

Islington

(Served by West London Magistrates Court)

Kensington and Chelsea

Kingston Magistrates Court

Kingston

Camberwell Green Magistrates Court

Lambeth

(Served by Greenwich Magistrates Court)

Lewisham

Wimbledon Magistrates Court

Merton

Stratford Magistrates Court

Newham

Redbridge Magistrates Court

Redbridge

Richmond Magistrates Court

Richmond

Tower Bridge Magistrates Court

Southwark

Sutton Magistrates Court

Sutton

Thames Magistrates Court

Tower Hamlets

Waltham Forest Magistrates Court

Waltham Forest

South Western Magistrates Court (and Balham Youth Court)

Wandsworth


Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts in England and Wales closed in each year since 1979. [86746]

Ms Harman: My Department does not hold information on the magistrates courthouse closures which occurred prior to 1995. The following table provides details of the magistrates court closures which took place between 1995 and 2006. HM Courts Service is committed to improving the standard of facilities provided to court users and in delivering greater value for money by increasing courtroom utilization. This includes the modernization and building of new modern courthouses as well as the co-location of magistrates courts and county courts.

Total number of courts closed

1995

7

1996

21

1997

21

1998

25

1999

7

2000

13

2001

30

2002

7

2003

13

2004

2

2005

0

2006

2


Outsourcing

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what administrative functions for which her Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment she has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81558]

Ms Harman: My Department has not outsourced any of its administrative functions overseas and has no plans to do so. No assessment has been made of the merits of off-shoring.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she will answer question 67393, on legal aid, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South for answer on 2 May 2006. [85275]

Vera Baird: I have today responded to the hon. Member’s question. It raised important legal considerations concerning the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and these took time to consider. I am sorry that it has taken so long.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much in legal aid has been provided to Mr. Nabeel Sami Fathallah; and if she will make a statement. [67393]

Vera Baird: I am not able to disclose this information. The Department can only disclose legal aid details where individuals have received legal aid in connection with litigation, and where that litigation has ceased.

Private Prosecutions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many private prosecutions were undertaken in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; how many (i) succeeded
24 July 2006 : Column 945W
and (ii) failed in each year; and how many were stopped on the grounds of (A) public interest and (B) insufficient evidence in each year. [87215]

Ms Harman: Information about the number of private prosecutions is not collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Rescheduled Court Cases

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court cases in each London court had to be rescheduled
24 July 2006 : Column 946W
because the defendant failed (a) to attend and (b) to bring the appropriate documentation in each of the last five years. [85955]

Ms Harman: The following tables show the number of trials held in London which had to be rescheduled (became ineffective) because the defendant did not attend. Separate tables are provided for cases dealt with in the magistrates courts where data is only available for Local Justice Areas, and for each of the Crown courts. Information on the number of cases wherethe defendant failed to bring the appropriate documentation is not collected and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ineffective trials due to defendant non-attendance in the Crown court( 1)
Crown court centre 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Blackfriars

25

35

19

24

19

Central criminal court

7

6

2

1

2

Croydon

47

32

37

17

10

Harrow

32

29

27

15

17

Inner London Sessions House

38

53

34

35

31

Isleworth

35

43

42

30

23

Kingston upon Thames

18

31

37

25

22

Middlesex Guildhall

29

32

31

11

5

Snaresbrook

73

66

72

74

49

Southwark

40

64

38

15

30

Wood Green

36

49

34

16

13

Woolwich

20

19

20

13

11

Total

400

459

393

276

232

(1 )Does not include defendant absence through illness or non-production from prison

Ineffective trials due to defendants non attendance in each Local Justice Area in the London magistrates court region( 1)
Financial year
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking

34

47

17

Barnet

63

49

52

Bexley

37

44

10

Brent

62

64

55

Bromley

46

51

12

City of London

40

30

31

Croydon

171

130

23

Ealing

72

63

29

East Central

91

176

145

Enfield

36

60

24

Haringey

61

88

43

Harrow

75

35

23

Havering

27

32

13

Hillingdon

193

85

60

Hounslow

59

45

18

Kingston upon Thames

19

16

5

North Westminster

24

44

25

Redbridge

47

75

31

Richmond upon Thames

36

14

12

South Central

206

193

89

South Eastern

82

90

56

South Western

69

55

40

South Westminster

255

176

86

Stratford

111

124

65

Sutton

42

21

8

Thames

158

182

113

Waltham Forest

80

44

23

West London

196

113

57

Wimbledon

28

8

6

Total

2,420

2,154

1,171

(1 )Does not include defendant absence through illness or non-production from prison.

Residential Property Tribunal

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the fee is for a property owner to appeal a Final Empty Dwelling Management Order to a Residential Property Tribunal. [86843]

Vera Baird: The fee would be £150.

Special Advocates

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many statements have been made by victims’ special advocates in (a) Cardiff, (b) Manchester, (c) Birmingham and (d) London. [84526]

Ms Harman: No family impact statements have yet been made in any of the five pilot courts. The scheme applies to cases where a charge of murder or manslaughter is brought on or after 24 April 2006.


24 July 2006 : Column 947W

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by her Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85182]

Ms Harman: Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported. The Department has provided information for the Joint Committee on Statutory Instrument’s Departmental Returns report for 2005. This is due to be published shortly. In 2006 there have been three statutory instruments reported as defective.

Culture, Media and Sport

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87068]

Mr. Lammy: The Department had a zero spend on advertising between 2000 and 2002. The expenditure on advertising from 2003 has been as follows.

Spend (£)

2003-04

(1)20,987

2004-05

(1)37,085

(1 )BBC Charter

Arts Council England

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much of the grant-in-aid to Arts Council England was allocated to theatre between 1997 and 2005; [87012]

(2) how much of the Arts Council England allocation to subsidised theatre between 1997 and 2005 was paid to (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) writers; [87013]

(3) what representations she has received from (a) theatre managers, (b) orchestras and (c) entertainment trade unions regarding the impact of the comprehensive spending review on theatre between 2008 and 2011. [87014]

Mr. Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the answersI gave him on 18 July 2006, Official Report,columns 331-32W.

BBC Charter

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her oral statement of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1156, on the BBC Charter, what additional areas of the BBC’s financial responsibilities she is considering adding to the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office; and if she will make a statement. [87657]


24 July 2006 : Column 948W

Mr. Woodward: We are not considering adding any areas of the BBC’s financial responsibility to the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office (NAO). As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced, we are currently exploring with the NAO how we might best establish an efficiency benchmark against which future performance might be judged.

Broadcasting

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her oral statement of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1156, on broadcasting, which areas of the BBC’s financial responsibilities her Department is considering adding to the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office; and if she will make a statement. [86795]

Mr. Woodward: We are not considering adding any areas of the BBC’s financial responsibility to the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office (NAO). We are currently exploring with the NAO how we might best establish an efficiency benchmark against which future performance might be judged.

Chance to Shine Campaign

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what initial assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Chance to Shine campaign; and if she will extend similar schemes to other sports. [87624]

Mr. Caborn: The “Chance to Shine” initiative, a£50 million campaign to improve participation in cricket in state schools and run by the Cricket Foundation, has recently issued its first mid-term report.

In the six weeks since its launch, 33,600 boys and girls have taken part in the schools programme, 7,471 curriculum and extra-curriculum sessions have been delivered and 504 boys and girls in schools involved in the initiative have joined clubs.

It is anticipated that over the next 10 years, “Chance to Shine” will reach a third of all schools in England and Wales.

There are no plans to extend the scheme to other sports.

Computing Equipment

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computers hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in her Department in each month since March 2005. [88747]

Mr. Lammy: This question cannot be answered save at disproportionate cost.


24 July 2006 : Column 949W

Cultural Agreement with India

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the United Kingdom Government have to establish a cultural agreement with India; and with which countries the United Kingdom Government has established a cultural agreement. [87616]

Tessa Jowell: The United Kingdom does not have general cultural agreements with other countries. However, we are in the process of finalising a Film Co-Production Treaty with India. The UK has similar Agreements on Film with France, Germany, Canada, Norway, Australia and New Zealand and we are also finalising one with South Africa.

Departmental Staff

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed in her Department in each year since 1997. [87618]

Mr. Lammy: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. Historical information on the numbers of people employed by DCMS and its agency, The Royal Parks, is available in the Library and on the civil service website at:

    <http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/staff/index.asp>

Data for 2005 can be found at:

    <http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/employment/index.asp>

Digital Switchover

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that proprietors of homes in multiple dwelling units are informed of the necessary steps to upgrade their properties to receive digital television; [87817]

(2) what steps she is taking to encourage private landlords to upgrade their properties to provide digital television services to their tenants. [87819]

Mr. Woodward: The digital switchover programme, led by Digital UK working with Government and Ofcom, has established a dedicated workstream on housing issues. This will make sure the progress in converting communal television systems is tracked and that the right messages go to private and social landlords and to managing agents and other representatives. It will also be important to make sure that tenants are aware of what is happening, something Digital UK will do as part of its wider communications campaigns.

The housing workstream is supported by a dedicated Housing Stakeholder Group, chaired by Ross Fraser, the chief executive of Housemark and drawn from representatives from the private and social housing sectors, from practitioners, tenants’ representatives as well as central and local government.


24 July 2006 : Column 950W

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with (a) the National Landlords Association and (b) the National Housing Federation since 2001 on the provision of digital television services to tenants in private accommodation. [87818]

Mr. Woodward: We have had extensive contacts with the National Landlords Association and National Housing Federation regarding the provision of digital television services and digital switchover. Both organisations were represented on the editorial board which oversaw the development of the “Digital Switchover: A Good Practice Briefing Special", which we published, in association with the Chartered Institute of Housing in August 2005.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether it is her policy to support the use of integrated reception systems to provide digital services in multiple dwelling units. [87823]

Mr. Woodward: No. It is for landlords in consultation with residents to determine the most appropriate way of adapting communal TV aerial systems for digital television services.

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the transmitter upgrade timetable is for digital switchover in Wales. [88858]

Mr. Woodward: Digital switchover will begin in the second half of 2009 in the HTV Wales region. We hope to be able to provide more specific information on the transmitter timetable for Wales later in the year, as well as for the west country and Granada regions, where the process will also begin in 2009.

Disability Discrimination Act

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department provides to assist (a) small hotels, (b) guest houses and (c) other tourism businesses to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [87395]

Mr. Woodward: Visit Britain’s National Accessible Scheme (NAS) helps hotels, guest houses, self-catering accommodation and other accommodation providers, to improve access and quality for those with hearing, mobility and visual impairment. It includes a self-assessment pack, which businesses can complete to see where improvements should be made to improve access.

In addition the Department paid a grant of £27,500 to Tourism for All in 2005-06 to help them provide their holiday care information service, update their current database of service users and members and to organise a series of roadshows to raise awareness about access improvements made by businesses and local authorities with suitable marketing opportunities. Tourism for All provides an important service to disabled people and helps the tourism industry to meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act.


24 July 2006 : Column 951W

Football

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 28 June 2006, Official Report, column 722W, on fixture lists, with which (a) football authorities and (b) sports governing bodies she is consulting; and what the process of consultation will be. [87674]

Mr. Caborn: My officials are currently consulting with all of the football authorities including the FA, the FA premier league and the Football League on the Independent European Sports Review. We will also be consulting the devolved Administrations who have responsibility for sport in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) who represent the interests of all sporting national governing bodies.

We will be holding a number of bilaterals with these consultees and will be encouraging them to reply formally to Jose Luis Arnaut, the author of the review, by the end of September.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Football Association Premier League on ticket pricing. [88207]

Mr. Caborn: I have not held any discussions with the FA Premier League on ticket pricing.

The Government have no role in the commercial and sporting operation of professional football. The issue of season tickets prices is a matter between individual clubs and the relevant football authorities.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what investigations her Department is undertaking into the football transfer market; and when they will report. [87627]

Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no plans for any investigation into the football transfer market. This is, however, an issue that has been raised in the European Sports Review recently published by Jose Luis Arnaut.

Gambling

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate she has made of turnover in the gambling industry in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement; [86104]

(2) what assessment she has made of the extent to which recent increases in turnover in the gambling industry have been a result of (a) increasing losses by those taking part in gambling activities and (b) new participants. [86106]

Mr. Caborn: The Office of National Statistics publishes data on gambling expenditure (i.e. stakes minus winnings) by UK households. In the last five financial years, expenditure on gambling, including the national lottery, is as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 952W
£ million

2001-02

7,216

2002-03

7,773

2003-04

8,695

2004-05

9,826

2005-06

9,807


The Gambling Act 2005, which will be fully implemented from September 2007, introduces a regulatory regime designed to ensure that the industry is crime-free, that gambling is fair, and that children and vulnerable people are properly protected.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the scale of betting conducted on British sporting events in other EU member states. [87675]

Mr. Caborn: The Government do not hold information relating to bets taken by operators based outside Great Britain.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has made to the EU study on gambling services in the internal market of the EU. [87676]

Mr. Caborn: My Department submitted evidence to the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, which undertook the study on behalf of the European Commission, and an official attended a briefing for member states hosted by the Swiss Institute.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on market share of UK-based gambling and betting businesses of their effective regulation. [88825]

Mr. Caborn: A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Gambling Act 2005 was published on 21 April 2005. We are currently working through the programme of secondary legislation needed to implement the Act, in order that the process of implementation will be complete in September 2007. Statutory Instruments will be accompanied by Regulatory Impact Assessments where appropriate.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers the Government have to control online advertising of (a) online and (b) casino gambling; and if she will make a statement. [88842]

Mr. Caborn: The Committee of Advertising Practice will set standards and codes for non-broadcast advertising of gambling activities, including online advertising. The Secretary of State also has reserve powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to make regulations with regard to the form, content, timing and location of gambling advertising. She will not hesitate to use these powers if it becomes clear that self-regulation is not sufficient to protect children and vulnerable people from exploitation. Both the CAP codes and any Secretary of State regulations will apply to all non-broadcast advertising by gambling operators, wherever they are licensed.


24 July 2006 : Column 953W

Under the Gambling Act 2005 the Gambling Commission has the power to attach a condition to the licences it issues making provision for how gambling facilities may be advertised or described.

In addition, Section 331 of the Gambling Act prohibits any gambling operator based outside the European Economic Area or Gibraltar from advertising in the UK unless a specific exemption has been made for that jurisdiction under sub-section 331(4).

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has held with the Treasury on the taxation regime for online gambling; and if she will make a statement. [89085]

Mr. Caborn: Officials from this department speak regularly with colleagues from other Government departments across a wide range of issues.

Gaming Machines

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she expects to be able to announce her decision regarding the stake and prize levels of category C gaming machines; [87225]

(2) whether she plans to raise the permitted level of stakes and prizes for category C gaming machines; [88225]

(3) whether stakes and prize levels for category C gaming machines are being re-considered. [88009]

Mr. Caborn: I have had very constructive discussions with the relevant industry organisations and others interested in stake and prize levels for gaming machines and will be making an announcement shortly.

Horse Racing

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account was taken of the Jockey Club’s financial position in proposals to transfer functions to the new Horserace Regulatory Authority. [88829]

Mr. Caborn: This is a matter for the Jockey Club, which I understand has made an assessment of its financial position in relation to the transfer of its functions to the new Horserace Regulatory Authority.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the horserace betting levy with EU legislation. [88830]

Mr. Caborn: The arrangements relating to the horserace betting levy were established before the UK joined the European Community. The European Commission keeps systems of aid under review in all member states but aids that pre-date a state's accession benefit from special rules. The Government are satisfied that the existing arrangements for the horserace betting levy are compatible with our obligations under the treaty establishing the European Community.


24 July 2006 : Column 954W

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the Horserace Betting Levy on the sale of media rights by racecourses; [88831]

(2) whether she has reviewed the conclusions of the regulatory impact assessment of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004. [88833]

Mr. Caborn: The regulatory impact assessment published in December 2003 to accompany the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 contains consideration of the impact of the Horserace Betting Levy on the sale of pre-race data and television pictures by racing.

My Department will remain mindful of the conclusions of this regulatory impact assessment in any further consideration of the future of the Levy.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she will announce her decision on the future of the Horserace Betting Levy after 2009; and if she will make a statement; [88832]

(2) whether she plans to bring forward measures to vary the provisions of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 as it relates to the Horserace Betting Levy. [88834]

Mr. Caborn: No decision has been taken to extend of the Horserace Betting Levy beyond 2009 nor to vary the provisions of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act, although the matter is under consideration by my Department following the publication of the phase two report of the Future Funding of Racing Review Group, Chaired by Lord Donoughue of Ashton.

IT Contracts

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value was of each IT contract awarded by her Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [89000]

Mr. Lammy: My Department has awarded IT contracts to NCC Group and BT in the last five years. It is not possible to provide individual costs save at disproportionate costs but the aggregated cost of all such contracts over the past five years would be less then £500,000.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which IT contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [89038]

Mr. Lammy: My Department has not abandoned any IT contracts in the past five years.

Libraries

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what percentage of public libraries were classed as of (a) good and (b) excellent standard in each year since 1997; [87016]


24 July 2006 : Column 955W

(2) what criteria are used to determine the quality of public libraries. [87017]

Mr. Lammy: Different aspects of the performance of the 149 public library authorities in England have been assessed, on different basis, for DCMS since 1998. There was no formal assessment by the Department before then.

Though the terms “excellent” and “good” have been part of the assessments of public library authority performance carried out for DCMS, there is no direct comparison between these different types of assessments.

Annual Library Plans were introduced in 1998 to improve the planning processes of library authorities. The scoring methodology was refined over time until they were discontinued in 2002-03 by which time 64 per cent. of authorities were producing plans that were assessed as good or excellent.

Library position statements were introduced in 2003-04 to assess the extent to which authorities were engaging with key messages that emerged from the Framework for the Future national public library strategy document. Authorities that were assessed as “excellent” in overall Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) terms; or “excellent” in CPA “Leisure and Libraries” terms and “good” overall were exempted from having to provide position statements. Additionally, authorities assessed as having provided an excellent position statement in 2003-04 were exempted from having to produce one in 2004-05. Therefore, there is no straight read across for the two years. However, of those authorities making submissions by the end of 2004-05, 87 per cent. were assessed as having presented good or excellent position statements.

The Public Library Standards originated in 2001-02 to introduce performance measurement for library authorities in England. They now form part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment Culture Block. The basis of assessment for authorities’ performance against the standards has evolved across the period so it is not possible to make straight comparisons. In 2004-05, authorities were assessed on the number of standards they had passed. Details of each of the 149 authorities’ performance appear in the Public Library Statistics 2005-06 Estimates and 2004-05 Actuals published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Copies are held in the House Library.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) computer games and (e) DVDs were stocked in public libraries in each London borough in each year since 1997; [87252]

(2) how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) DVDs and (e) computer games have been lent by libraries in each London borough since 1997. [87255]

Mr. Lammy: This information is not held centrally. However, the Public Library Statistics, published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, contain similar data to that being sought. The House of Commons Library holds copies for the period in question.


24 July 2006 : Column 956W

Licensing Act

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licences for public houses in (a) rural and (b) urban areas were not renewed in each year from 1997. [86712]

Mr. Woodward: Information on the renewal of licences held by public houses in the years prior to the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) is not held centrally. There is no renewal process for licences issued under the 2003 Act.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of a change in the fee structure for premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003 on businesses which have already paid their renewal fees for their premises licence; and if she will make a statement. [87119]

Mr. Woodward: The Independent Fees Review Panel, chaired by Sir Les Elton, is considering the fee levels and structure and their impact on fee payers andlocal authorities. We will consider carefully any recommendations that the Panel makes when it reports to Ministers in the autumn.

We have no existing plans to change the fee structure, although we have agreed in principle that there should be a single date for the annual fee. However, before we can set a single date, we will need to consider and consult on transitional arrangements and the options for which date to adopt. Licence holders will be given notice before new arrangements are brought in and should, in the meantime, continue to pay their annual fee on the anniversary of the grant of the licence.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of premises licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 which have paid their renewal fees for their premises licence since February; and if she will make a statement. [87120]

Mr. Woodward: There is no renewal process for licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003, although an annual fee is paid on the anniversary of the grant of the licence. We have not made any estimate about the number of licence holders who have paid annual fees. However, as most applications to convert licences to the new regime were made near the end of the period for converting licences in July and August last year, it is likely that the majority of annual fees will not be due until the autumn.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism last met representatives of (a) the licensed trade, (b) local authorities, (c) residents’ groups, (d) magistrates, (e) police officers, (f) village hall associations, (g) sports clubs, (h) performing arts, (i) the tourism industry, (j) fire services and (k) the retail sector to discuss the Licensing Act 2003 and related legislation; and if she will make a statement. [87121]


24 July 2006 : Column 957W

Mr. Woodward: Since May 2006, I have held several internal meetings on the Licensing Act and have met with the Chair of the Independent Fees review panel. I have met, along with Home Office colleagues, representatives of the licensed trade on 15 May and representatives from local authorities and the police on 24 May.

I am planning to hold a series of stakeholder meetings in the autumn.

London Olympics

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the monthly peak construction costs for the building of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games sites. [87814]

Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority is currently procuring the delivery partner that will help it to deliver the Olympic and legacy construction. One element of the delivery partner’s role will be to examine the construction costs of the Olympic infrastructure. We expect this assessment to be completed within six to nine months of the appointment.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment of contamination in the Olympic Park and surrounding Lea Valley area has been undertaken; what the findings were; and what remedial action is being taken. [87815]

Mr. Caborn: Initial site investigation and desk-top research work, undertaken in support of the Olympic and Legacy Planning Applications, identified some contamination within the footprint of the Olympic Park area. Much of the contaminated land is former Brownfield or derelict land that has been used for a variety of industrial activities.

Site investigations are currently being carried out to characterise the nature of the ground conditions and the level of contamination. These investigations will be carried out in accordance with current industry best practice to identify the exact type and concentrations. The investigations are following the principles set out in the Intrusive Investigation Method Statement approved by the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, the Environment Agency and British Waterways. Copies of the Statement have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

The boroughs have been consulted throughout the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment, during the site investigation phase and will continue to be consulted throughout the development of the remediation and validation works.

In addition, generic site specific soil target values have been generated and are detailed in a Global Remediation Strategy which has been reviewed and approved by the same regulators noted above. Once the site investigation is complete, detailed remediation strategies, including generation of site specific clean up targets, will be prepared and agreed with the regulators as appropriate prior to implementation and validation. All of the sites to be remediated will be subject to detailed planning applications.


24 July 2006 : Column 958W

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the cost of (a) security during construction of the Olympic Park in each year to 2012 and (b) security during the Olympic Games. [87816]

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave him on 24 May 2006, Official Report,column 1788W. Work continues on the evaluation of the security requirements for the various phases of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games and their cost.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has set up a specialist unit within the Department to oversee the Olympic Games. [87824]

Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) has been set up within DCMS under a Chief Executive, who has also been appointed as an additional Accounting Officer, to co-ordinate Government input into the 2012 Games. The Executive acts as a link between Government Departments on the one hand and LOCOG (the London Organising Committee) and the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) on the other. GOE works closely with all Departments to ensure a joined up approach to delivering the benefits and legacy of the 2012 Games.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) arrangements have been made and (b) mode of transportation will be used to deliver raw materials to the Olympic Park. [87828]

Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are reviewing all modes of transport for raw materials, including river and rail usage, and will work with their Delivery Partner—to be appointed later this summer—to develop proposals for an effective, affordable and sustainable approach.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with other Government Departments on co-ordinating other large construction projects during the construction of the Olympic Park; and if she will make a statement. [87829]

Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been a key participant in an initiative being led by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to improve the public sector’s demand management in construction procurement and to enhance the UK construction industry’s long term capacity planning so as to meet public sector demand and provide a healthy level of competition.

DCMS has been working with OGC and the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum (PSCCF) in taking forward a number of strands in this initiative including a study, The 2005-15 Construction Demand/Capacity Study, to examine the industry’s capacity to deliver public sector construction programmes including those for the Olympics to time, budget and the required quality, and their likely effect on other capital development programmes throughout the country.

The study is due to be published shortly.


24 July 2006 : Column 959W

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are for the use of (a) the Olympic Stadium and (b) other Olympic facilities after the Olympic Games have finished; and when she expects formal agreements on this to be finalised. [87830]

Tessa Jowell: Plans for the Olympic venues were set out in Theme 8 of the London 2012 Candidature File, which can be accessed on the website of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, www.london2012.com at:

    http://www.london2012.com

Since London was awarded the Games, these plans have been under development. The timing of final decisions on legacy use will vary from venue to venue because, among other things, of differences in the construction profile but key stakeholders will be consulted as part of the planning process for the Olympic Park, before any formal agreements are finalised.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to involve women in the delivery of the 2012 Olympics. [88202]

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympics Games (LOCOG) are committed to diversity in the way they operate and engage with communities and groups. LOCOG, for instance, work with the Women's Resource Centre and the Women's Sports Foundation through their London 2012 Forum. My Department is working with the Department for Communities and Local Government (which has policy responsibility in Government for women's issues) to ensure that all sections of society have opportunities for involvement in the games. The Women and Equality Unit and the Equal Opportunities Commission have been involved in the development of this work and will help shape the final delivery plan. This work complements similar planning activity by the Greater London Authority to engage with a wide variety of London's diverse communities, including women.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made against the objective of providing an ethical Olympic games in 2012; and if she will make a statement. [88209]

Mr. Caborn: The Olympic stakeholders are committed to an ethical Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 and a sustainable legacy for London and the UK. We are determined to ensure that local communities receive tangible benefit from the Games, particularly in the areas of local employment, affordable housing, training initiatives and education.

Initiatives are already under way to realise these objectives. For example, the Olympic Delivery Authority have recently published their draft Procurement Policy, which confirms their commitment to sustainability, health and safety and partnership working.


24 July 2006 : Column 960W

In addition, the London 2012 Employment and Skills Task Force (LEST), established by the Greater London Authority and the London Skills Commission, will deliver a collaborative business plan to identify and co-ordinate measures to support people in accessing direct and indirect employment opportunities arising from the hosting of the Games in 2012.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms are being put in place in the procurement process for the Olympics to ensure private companies comply with good employment practices. [88211]

Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), which is responsible for delivering the infrastructure for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, places high importance on ensuring its ethical values are shared by potential contractors. Through the tendering process the ODA and its Delivery Partner will assess the commitment of bidders to these values, including their approach to good employment practices, training, recruitment, equalities and diversity. The ODA’s draft Procurement Policy, which was published on 19 July, states that it would like all employees of contractors and subcontractors working on ODA contracts to be on fair employment terms and conditions, such as the good practice guidance promulgated by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the project to bury the underground power lines atthe Olympic Park; what lessons have been learned from the project; and if she will make a statement. [88222]

Mr. Caborn: During the Bid period the Government and the Mayor recognised that the timescale for undergrounding the powerlines was such that serious work needed to start in November 2005 if the project was to be completed within an acceptable timescale. Work was set in hand and the London Development Agency was ready to award the contract for undergrounding after we had won the Games. They will shortly transfer the project to the Olympic Delivery Authority. The initial contracts are working well and they expect the project to be completed in line with original targets.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what (a) process and (b) criteria the Government and Sport England will allocate funds for improving Great Britain’s and Northern Ireland's potential medal performance in the 2012 Olympics between clubs and associations. [88247]

Mr. Caborn: All investment in medal potential for London 2012 is channelled through UK Sport, the Government's lead agency on high performance sport. UK Sport allocates Exchequer and Lottery funding solely through its World Class Pathway programme to the National Governing Bodies for Olympic and Paralympic sport, based on a range of factors including regular assessment of athlete performance at major international competitions. It is for those Governing Bodies to determine whether funding should then be provided for high performance sport through their clubs and associations.


24 July 2006 : Column 961W

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many properties (a) owned and (b) managed by the National Trust (i) she, (ii) the Minister for Sport, (iii) the Minister for Culture and (iv) the Minister for Media and Tourism has visited in an official capacity in the last five years. [87825]

Mr. Lammy: I have visited the new National Trust offices in Swindon as well as Tyntesfield, the Victorian House and estate near Bristol. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Minister for Sport and my hon. Friend the Minister for Media and Tourism have not yet had the opportunity to make official visits to properties owned or managed by the National Trust.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met her Scottish counterpart; and what subjects were discussed. [88774]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met Patricia Ferguson on 2 November 2005 at Sports Cabinet. They discussed the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Glasgow’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games; Sport and Physical Activity; the Terms of Reference of the Sports Cabinet; our approach to hosting mega events; practical arrangements for future Sports Cabinet meetings; and the British Council’s ‘Dreams and Teams’ initiative.

Ministerial Office

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87653]

Mr. Lammy: In the last five years the ministerial office of the Secretary of State has been decorated twice—in 2002 and 2005. It will be redecorated again in the coming months as part of the refurbishment of the Department’s Cockspur Street headquarters building.

Museums

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what budget has been available to museums for acquisitions in each year since 1980. [87617]

Mr. Lammy: Museums have a number of sources of funding for acquisitions available to them. These include government funding (be it national or local), self generated income, private donations and grants available from bodies such as the Art Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. We do not keep figures on each of the different funding streams available for all museums.

The Government do not ring fence acquisition budgets for the cultural institutions that it sponsors. This ceased in 1992 and allows sponsored museums and galleries the freedom to choose how they spend their grant in aid. Overall grant in aid for directly sponsored national museums and galleries increased from £205.17 million in 1997-98 to £314.93 million in 2006-07.


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We are aware of concerns relating to the level of funding museums and galleries have available for acquisitions. We will continue to engage with interested groups, and are always willing to listen to their ideas with regard to acquisitions.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the percentage of revenue savings through efficiency savings required from museums in the next financial year. [87619]

Mr. Lammy: Museums and galleries participating in the DCMS efficiency project are required to make savings of 2.5 per cent. of their grant in aid per annum.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the change was in funding to museums in each year since 1997 (a) without taking inflation into account and (b) taking inflation into account. [87620]

Mr. Lammy: Tables giving details of increases in grant in aid to 17 DCMS sponsored museums since 1997 (a) without taking inflation into account and (b) taking inflation into account are in the following tables:

Table A: Grant in aid allocated to 17 DCMS sponsored museums( 1) 1997-98 to 2007-08
£ million( 2) Percentage change

1997-98

205.17

1998-99

203.46

-0.8

1999-2000

218.31

+7.3

2000-01

226.29

+3.7

2001-02

241.46

+6.7

2002-03

264.96

+9.7

2003-04

275.63

+4.0

2004-05

280.37

+1.7

2005-06

291.99

+4.1

2006-07

314.93

+7.9

2007-08

335.66

+6.6

(1) Covers DCMS funding allocated to 17 DCMS Sponsored museums. Excludes allocations to some smaller museums and DCMS funding streams open to museums and galleries such as Strategic Commissioning, and the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. (2) £ million not taking inflation into account.

Table B: Grant in aid (CiA) allocated to 17 DCMS sponsored museums( 1) 1997-98 to 2007-08
£ million( 2) Percentage change

1997-98

Base

1998-99

197.75

-3.75

1999-2000

207.59

+4.7

2000-01

212.43

+2.3

2001-02

220.88

+3.8

2002-03

234.43

+5.8

2003-04

237.26

+1.2

2004-05

235.89

-0.6

2005-06

239.63

+1.6

2006-07

251.71

+4.8

2007-08

261.22

+3.6

(1) Covers DCMS funding allocated to 17 DCMS Sponsored museums. Excludes allocations to some smaller museums and DCMS funding streams open to museums and galleries such as Strategic Commissioning, and the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund. (2 )£ million taking inflation into account, using 1997 as base year

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Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visitors to publicly-funded museums in London there were in each year since 1997. [87777]

Mr. Lammy: The number of visits to museums and galleries in London funded directly by this Department in each year since 1997 are set out in the following table:

Number of visits (million)

1997-98

20.3

1998-99

19.5

1999-2000

19.2

2000-01

23.7

2001-02

24.4

2002-03

27.0

2003-04

28.3

2004-05

28.5

2005-06

26.8


We do not hold visit data on the 67 London museums which are funded by the Ministry of Defence, local authorities, universities and the Greater London authority.

Obesity

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will bring forward proposals to require seating at venues open to the public to be increased in size to accommodate obese people; and if she will make a statement. [86953]

Mr. Caborn: The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on seating in The Event Safety Guide and Guide to fire precautions in existing places of entertainment and like premises.

For sports grounds, there is no standard allocation of space for a seated person, as such. However, my Department’s document Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds does provide guidance on minimum seat widths and seating row depths. The purpose of the document is to give guidance on how to calculate the safe capacity of a sports ground.

More broadly, my Department, along with the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills, is taking joint action to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity amongst children under 11, in the context of tackling obesity in the population as a whole.

Portchester Castle

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what conditions were attached by the donor when Portchester Castle was given to the nation in 1974; and whether these conditions have been varied at any time. [87742]


24 July 2006 : Column 964W

Mr. Lammy: The guardianship of Portchester Castle was given to the Commissioner for Works on 23 June 1926. No conditions were attached to this gift.

Regulations concerning the castle have been made subsequently, most recently in 1974 by the Department of the Environment following discussions with Fareham borough council and St. Mary’s Church.

Following a direction made under section 34 of the National Heritage Act 1983, responsibility for managing the property was delegated to English Heritage.

Regal Cinema, Evesham

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the listing of the Regal Cinema, Evesham. [87407]

Mr. Lammy: In October 2000, the Department received two applications to list this building. It was listed at Grade II in November 2000. Between November 2001 and January 2002, we received six requests, from the same individual, to de-list it or to approve ‘in principle’ plans to alter its interior. These were turned down. In June 2002, we received a request to upgrade the cinema to II. This was rejected, on the advice of English Heritage, 10 September 2002.

Sport England

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many funding applications have been made to Sport England from organisations in Leicester South constituency; and if she will provide details of each application. [86131]

Mr. Caborn: Sport England does not hold information about funding applications in the required format. Over 900 applications have been made inthe East Midlands region, however, information specifically about the Leicestershire South constituency could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Sport England grants have been awarded to organisations in Leicester South constituency; and if she will provide details of each award. [86132]

Mr. Caborn: Sport England records show that, since 1995, 14 lottery grants have been awarded to organisations in the Leicester South constituency at a total value of £6,927,625. In addition, the constituency may also have benefited from Community Club Development programme grants of £1,137,889 awarded to organisations throughout Leicestershire.

Details of the Lottery awards are given in the following table.


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24 July 2006 : Column 966W
Applicant Purpose Grant (£)

Leicester Rowing Club

Purpose built rowing centre

232,431

Leicestershire county council

Highfield Youth and Community Centre-new four court, sports hall and fitness room

1,999,000

International Youth House Project Ltd

Community facility incorporating a 27m x 18m sports hall

420,110

Leicester City council

Active sports

1,280,093

Leicester City council (Lancaster school)

New sports facilities

106,160

Lancaster school

School sport coordinator

285,265

Leicester Football Club Plc

Spectator safety works and upgrade of security installations

13,135

Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Implementation of ticket administration system; alterations to the roof of the pavilion

78,717

Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Safer sports ground

15,414

Leicester Football Club Plc

Demolition and rebuild

200,000

Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Safer sports ground

30,250

Leicester Racial Equality council

Female sports activity officer

107,050

Leicester City council

New sports centre

2,000,000

Leicester City council

Refurbishment of Saffron Lane athletic track

160,000


Sports Clubs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) football, (b) rugby, (c) hockey, (d) tennis, (e) cricket, (f) swimming and (g) gymnastic clubs there were in (i) each London borough and (ii) London in the last year for which figures are available. [87417]

Mr. Caborn: DCMS does not hold the information requested and there is no central register for such clubs.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by her Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85183]

Mr. Lammy: None to date.

Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Television Licences

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area have been in receipt of free television licences in each year since the introduction of free licences for people over 75 years. [87374]

Mr. Woodward: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Houghton and Washington, East constituency in 2004-05 was 4,490, according to Department for Work and Pensions records. Winter fuel payment figures for the Sunderland city council area are not available; however, the figure in 2004-05 for the unitary authority of Sunderland was 15,330.

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce a scheme to exempt those staying in respite care from the need to purchase a television licence in addition to the one purchased for their home. [87418]

Mr. Woodward: Television licences for respite care arises principally in relation to the Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) concessionary scheme. As part of BBC Charter Review, the Government re-examined anomalies within the existing concessionary arrangements, with a special focus on the ARC scheme. In the March 2006 White Paper, the Government acknowledged the shortcomings of the scheme but noted that proposals for change focussed on individual anomalies rather than ways to improve the scheme as a whole. Previous changes to correct individual anomalies have done little to improve the scheme as a whole and have tended to create new problems. We therefore have no plans to amend the scheme, nor to introduce a separate concessionary scheme for respite care accommodation.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussion took place between her Department and the BBC about the decision not to renew the contract for renewal and purchase of television licences supplied at post offices. [87429]

Mr. Woodward: The award of the contract was a commercial decision for the BBC as television licensing authority. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not therefore have any discussions with the Corporation about the substance of the decision. However, DCMS officials were briefed by the BBC prior to the Corporation's announcement of the award of the contract on 31 March this year.

Ticket Touting

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions were agreed at the Ticket Tout summit on 17 July regarding the charging of administration fees in relation to tickets returned to the original sellers for re-sale at face value; and if she will make a statement. [87118]

Mr. Woodward: At the summit on 17 July, the industry stated their agreement to introduce a returns policy whereby fans can return tickets to the original sellers at face value. There were no specific provisions
24 July 2006 : Column 967W
agreed around charging of administrative fees in relation to these tickets. The returns policy will be implemented by the industry itself and I hope they will take all relevant views into account, especially those of the ticket buying public, when doing this. The industry also agreed to set up a website where fans could sell tickets to other fans at face value.

At the summit my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I also announced a future DCMS-led public consultation to establish the views of consumers and the industry on ticket sales issues. Other measures announced included further work with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on terms and conditions of ticket sales and the introduction of kite marks for ticket sales websites. The Government also pledged to continue working with the industry and OFT to draw up and overarching code of practice for both primary and secondary ticket sellers.

Our principle in taking this forward remains that the interests of the consumers are paramount and that our creative, cultural and sporting industries should be able to prosper in a healthy legitimate market.

Tourism

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the tourism deficit in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [87382]

Mr. Woodward: The UK tourism balance of payments deficit was £18.1 million in 2005. This figure has been produced using a range of data sources including the UK Tourism Survey and the International Data Survey.

The deficit reflects a range of factors including increased prosperity and the availability of cheap flights. The UK is by no means alone in this regard, indeed in 2003 Germany’s deficit stood at over £27 billion.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what initiatives have been put in place by her Department to increase domestic tourism visits. [87392]

Mr. Woodward: Domestic tourism represents around 80 per cent. of the turnover of the UK tourism industry. My Department funds VisitBritain to market England to the British, as advised by the England Marketing Advisory Board. £10.4 million a year in grant in aid to VisitBritain is presently allocated for this purpose.

VisitBritain’s domestic marketing activities include the EnglandNet project, which provides comprehensive destination information for both domestic and overseas visitors, with facilities for live booking of accommodation and other services using the websites of VisitBritain’s commercial and public sector partners. A total of£10 million has been allocated to EnglandNet to date, including £2 million over the current Spending Review period from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

My Department also works closely with regional and local government in supporting and promoting domestic tourism, currently contributing £3.6 million a year to the Regional Development Agencies to support
24 July 2006 : Column 968W
tourism in the regions, and £1.9 million a year to the Greater London Authority to support the Mayor’s statutory tourism duties.

Support for the growth of domestic tourism is central to the consultation on the Tourism Strategy for the 2012 Games, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched on 19 July.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding her Department plans to contribute for (a) marketing, (b) e-tourism, (c) improving the quality of tourism products and (d) skills and training in connection with achieving the target of £100 billion value for tourism by 2010. [87393]

Mr. Woodward: My Department funds VisitBritain to market Britain overseas, and market England to the British and in some European territories as advised by the England Marketing Advisory Board. Grant in aid to VisitBritain under the current Spending Review is in the following table:

Resource Capital Total (£000)

2005-06

49,051

300

49,351

2006-07

50,051

300

50,351

2007-08

50,051

300

50,351


My Department also currently contributes£3.6 million a year to the Regional Development Agencies’ Single Pot in support of their strategic responsibilities for tourism in the regions, and £1.9 million a year to the Greater London Authority to support the Mayor’s statutory tourism duties.

Marketing including the use of e-tourism, and improvements in product quality and workforce skills, are essential elements of the consultation on the Tourism Strategy for the 2012 Games, which my RHF the Secretary of State launched on 19 July. In these and other areas, VisitBritain, the development agencies, and the Authority are expected to have major roles in tourism’s preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The effects of any new work arising from the consultation on VisitBritain’s future funding levels cannot be foreseen at this stage. Levels of grant-in-aid from my Department to VisitBritain, the development agencies, and the Authority for years after 2007-08 are yet to be agreed, and are subject to the present Comprehensive Spending Review.

The consultation also seeks views on the possible effects of the Games opportunity, and of changes in statistical methodology, on my Department’s strategic targets for tourism.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department provides to assist (a) small hotels, (b) guest houses and (c) other tourism businesses to enhance the skills of employees. [87394]

Mr. Woodward: The Department is working closely with DFES and People 1(st) (the Sector Skills Council for the Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism industries) on a broad and ambitious skills programme.


24 July 2006 : Column 969W

My predecessor chaired two Skills Summits with People 1(st) and industry representatives to develop a draft National Skills Strategy, which is based on sectoral priorities of improving retention rates and skills levels for management, chefs and customer service. Agreement of a final employer-led Strategy is planned for the winter.

We also work closely with People 1(st) and industry to ensure full advantage is taken of wider initiatives such as Train to Gain, National Skills Academies and Skills Passports.

Given the nature of the tourism sector and the domination of small and micro businesses, these developments will be of direct benefit to them.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government support for the tourism industry was in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement. [87396]

Mr. Woodward: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provided support to the tourism industry via grant in aid to VisitBritain of £49.3 million in 2005-06. VisitBritain used this money to market and promote the UK to both the domestic and international markets.

In addition, DCMS contributed £3.6 million to the regional development agencies’ single pot in support of their strategic responsibilities for tourism in the regions.

A further £1.9 million was allocated to the Greater London Authority to support the Mayor’s statutory tourism duties.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department provides to assist small tourism enterprises in the use of information technology. [87399]

Mr. Woodward: My Department does not provide direct assistance to small tourism businesses in the use of information technology. Such assistance is available to tourism and other businesses through the Small Business Service.

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department gives to VisitBritain for e-tourism; and if she will make a statement. [87400]

Mr. Woodward: VisitBritain’s e-tourism activities are supported by grant in aid from my Department. These activities include the EnglandNet project, to which a total of £10 million has been allocated, including£2 million over the current spending review period from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

The EnglandNet portal is administered by VisitBritain and fully supported by the regional development agencies, which are providing partnership funding from 2005-06. EnglandNet provides comprehensive destination information for overseas and domestic visitors, with facilities for instant booking of accommodation and other services using the websites of VisitBritain’s commercial and public sector partners. The portal took its first live booking in December 2005.


24 July 2006 : Column 970W

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's planned expenditure is on the tourism sector outside London in each of the next three years. [87401]

Mr. Woodward: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provides support to the tourism industry via grant in aid to VisitBritian (VB). VisitBritian uses this money to market and promote the UK to both the domestic and international markets.

The level of grant in aid for VB agreed as part of the 2004 Spending Review was as follows:

£000
Resource Capital Total

2005-06

49,051

300

49,351

2006-07

50,051

300

50,351

2007-08

50,051

300

50,351


It is not possible to provide details of VBs grant in aid beyond 2007-08, this will be decided following the completion of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

In addition, my Department contributes £3.6 million per year to the Regional Development Agencies’ Single Pot in respect of their tourism role.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists visited (a) London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997. [87254]

Mr. Woodward: The tables set out the number of visits to London from (i) overseas and (ii) the UK where this included an overnight stay. Information is provided for the 2000 to 2005, equivalent data prior to this are not available.

Inbound visits to London by year
Visit (all) (Thousand)

2000

13,145

2001

11,452

2002

11,603

2003

11,696

2004

13,398

2005

(1)13,893

(1) 2005 data are provisional.
Source:
International Passenger Survey (ONS).

Domestic overnight trips to London by year
Visit (all) (Thousand)

2000

18,500

2001

16,900

2002

16,100

2003

14,300

2004

(1)12,800

2005

(2)10,700

(1) VisitBritain believes the old UKTS methodology significantly underreported 2004.
(2) In 2005 an improved methodology was introduced for UKTS therefore direct comparison with previous years is not appropriate.
Source:
UK Tourism Survey (National Tourist Boards).

24 July 2006 : Column 971W

In addition, London receives a substantial number of day visitors, the last Leisure Day Visitors Survey in 2002-03 recorded a total of 169 million to the region.

My Department does not have details of tourist visits to each London borough.

TV Transmitters

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) television transmitters and (b) relay stations there are in (i) Ceredigion, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK. [88859]

Mr. Woodward: Ceredigion has one transmitter and 13 relays. The main transmitter is at Blaen Plywyf.

In Wales there are seven transmitters and 202 relays and in the UK there are 51 transmitters and 1,105 relays.

UK School Games

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what part volunteers will play in the running of the 2006 UK School Games in Glasgow; [86726]

(2) if she will list the applicants who submitted tenders to run the UK School Games for 2007 to 2011; and if she will make a statement; [86727]

(3) whether the Youth Sports Trust has subcontracted any part of the running of the UK School Games for 2006; and if she will make a statement. [86789]

Mr. Caborn: The selection of an operator to organise the UK School Games for 2006 and for 2007-11, and the subsequent grant of National Lottery money was a matter for the Millennium Commission. In my capacity as Chair of the Commission, I will write to you on this matter and arrange for copies of my reply to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Visitor Attractions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of visitors to (a) the Avebury monuments, (b) Bowood House, (c) Corsham Court, (d) Lacock Abbey, (e) Iford Manor, (f) Longleat, (g) Stourhead, (h) Old Wardour Castle and (i) Silbury Hill in each year since 1997. [88242]

Mr. Lammy: The Department does not hold estimates of the number of visitors to Bowood House, Corsham Court, Lacock Abbey, Iford Manor, Longleat or Stourhead.

The Avebury Monuments, including Silbury Hill, have free access and it is difficult to gain an accurate estimate of the number of visitors due to the nature of the site. A survey held by Bournemouth University in 1996-1998 gave an approximate figure of 350,000 a
24 July 2006 : Column 972W
year. Data for 1999-2000, gives an annual figure of 342,000 and 276,600 for the year 2004-05.

Visitor figures for the English Heritage property of Old Wardour Castle is as follows:

Number

1996-97

28,051

1997-98

24,838

1998-99

23,345

1999-2000

28,375

2000-01

19,863

2001-02

22,084

2002-03

28,375

2003-04

32,011

2004-05

29,380

2005-06

26,470


Wembley Stadium

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the Brent economy when Wembley Stadium opens. [87784]

Mr. Caborn: It is estimated that when the Wembley Stadium opens it will attract around 2.5 million visitors a year, bringing an estimated annual visitor spend of £229 million to Wembley and the surrounding area. Around 7,500 permanent job opportunities will be created by economic activity directly related to the stadium.

The stadium development has also acted as a catalyst for investment in the wider regeneration of Wembley. An improved transport system, new shops, new leisure and community facilities, thousands of new jobs and 8,500 new homes will all help to bring a major boost to the Brent economy.

Youth Charter Organisation

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for lottery funding have been made by the Youth Charter organisation in the past five years; and how many such applications have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful. [87974]

Mr. Caborn: There has been one award to the Youth Charter for Sport, Culture and the Arts. This was awarded by Sport England in May 2005. The Department does not collect information about unsuccessful lottery applications.

[Continued in column 973W]


24 July 2006 : Column 973W

Written Answers to Questions

Monday 24 July 2006

[Continued from column 972W]

Duchy of Lancaster

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what advertising campaigns her Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87070]

Mr. McFadden: Significant advertising campaigns in support of specific policies are managed centrally through Cabinet Office Communication Group and placed through the Central Office of Information (COI).

Details of advertising costs are shown in the table which reflects expenditure for financial years 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Cabinet Office systems are not sufficiently structured to provide accurate Cabinet Office recruitment advertising information prior to 1 April 2004.

Cabinet Office is also responsible for the advertising and filling of Fast Stream vacancies across the civil service, the advertising data for this is only available from 2001.

Dates Budget/spend

2000-01

Chartermark

March 2001

34,996

2001-02

UK-Online

November 2001- January 2002

2,491,500

Foot and Mouth Teletext

October 2001

48,263

Fast Stream Recruitment

Throughout year

104,000

2002-03

Fast Stream Recruitment

Throughout year

89,000

2003-04

UK online “Get Started”

May-June

1,000,000

Fast Stream Recruitment

Throughout year

67,000


Cabinet Office Spending

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office spent on supporting the Prime Minister in each year since 1996-97, including the estimated figures for 2005-06. [86853]


24 July 2006 : Column 974W

Hilary Armstrong: Supporting the Prime Minster is one of the Cabinet Office’s objectives. The costs associated with this function are identified and reported separately in the Annual Report and Resource Accounts.

Details of these costs for 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts, Schedule 5, Objective 1—Supporting the Prime Minister (HC185—Page 26, HC1190—Page 32, and HC372—Page 28 respectively).

Copies of these reports and resource accounts for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/annualreport/index.asp and are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

The Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts for 2005-06 were laid before Parliament on 20 July 2006 and will be published shortly on the Cabinet Office website.

Expenditure incurred on supporting the Prime Minister, prior to 2002-03, is not held centrally.

Computing Equipment

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many (a) laptop and (b) desk top computers were purchased for use in 10 Downing Street in each month since March 2005; [86886]

(2) how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs and (d) external computer hard drives were purchased for use in 10 Downing Street in each month since March 2005; [86855]

(3) how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computer hard drives and (f) desktop computers were purchased for use in the Cabinet Office in each month since March 2005. [86856]

Mr. McFadden: The Prime Minister’s office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office

The numbers of items of the specified computer equipment purchased for use in the Cabinet Office in each month since March 2005 are shown in the table. It has been compiled from records held by those business units who have, according to our resource accounting system, purchased relevant equipment during the period.


24 July 2006 : Column 975W

24 July 2006 : Column 976W
USB flash drive USB memory stick Compact disc drive DVD-ROM disc drive Laptop computer External computer hard drive Desktop computer

2005

March

0

0

0

0

2

0

32

April

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

May

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

June

0

0

0

0

2

10

14

July

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

August

3

0

0

0

21

0

0

September

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

October

5

0

0

0

1

0

0

November

0

1

0

1

0

7

1

December

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

2006

January

0

0

1

2

27

6

53

February

5

18

0

0

0

6

0

March

0

0

0

0

6

2

9

April

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

May

0

0

0

0

12

0

0

June

0

0

0

0

0

2

2


A significant proportion of the information technology equipment used by the Department, for example on the corporate IT network, is not purchased but provided as part of a managed service through our prime IT contractor.

Government Ministers (Financial Benefit Declarations)

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance the Cabinet Office issues to Government Ministers on declaring to HM Revenue and Customs financial benefits (a) Ministers and (b) their spouses have received from foreign persons or foreign corporations directly or indirectly as a result of their Ministerial position. [87594]

Hilary Armstrong: Guidance for Ministers on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality is set out in Section 5 of the “Ministerial Code”.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87656]

Hilary Armstrong: According to available records, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Ministerial Office, Private Offices and waiting area has been decorated once in the last five years.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many non-departmental public bodies have been abolished since December 2005; and what estimate she has made of the consequent effect on public funds. [87110]

Mr. McFadden: Information on public bodies sponsored by central Government is provided annually in the Cabinet Office publication “Public Bodies” which records information as at 31 March each year. This includes details of closed bodies and also government funding and expenditure.

Information for the position at 31 March 2006 is currently being collated and will be published shortly. Information for the position at 31 March 2005 was published on 21 November 2005.

Copies of previous publications are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what guidance she has issued to departments on the publication of work preliminary to the conduct of regulatory impact assessments; [87950]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1826W, on regulatory impact assessments, whether any work preparatory to the conduct of such an assessment may be (a) placed in the Library and (b) published by Departments. [87958]

Mr. McFadden: The Cabinet Office’s guidance makes clear that final regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) should be made available to the House and published by Departments on their websites. Partial RIAs should also be published by departments as part of formal consultation exercises. The publication of initial RIAs and other work preparatory to the production of partial and final RIAs is for individual Departments to consider on a case by case basis.


24 July 2006 : Column 977W

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to undertake a review of Afghanistan (a) development needs and (b) the progress of international reconstruction projects. [86537]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.

The Government of Afghanistan have been leading the process to develop a national development strategy to tackle the country’s reconstruction and development needs. In January at the London Conference, an interim strategy was launched and endorsed by the international community. Building on this effort, donors are now supporting the Government to prepare a final Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS), which will review needs in eight priority sectors: infrastructure, security, governance, education, health, agriculture and rural livelihoods, economic governance and private sector development, and social protection; as well as on important cross-cutting issues such as counter-narcotics and gender.

Progress of the international reconstruction effort is reviewed though a number of mechanisms. Donors will monitor progress of their own projects, and occasionally there may be joint reviews (such as the recently undertaken joint donor review for the National Solidarity Programme). Government Ministries work with donors to identify duplication and gaps in their sectors, and will draw up plans to feed into the ANDS. The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) Performance Assessment Matrix will also allow for joint monitoring of development impact, once it is formally launched later this year.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the remit is of her Department's team of officials involved with the Poppy Elimination programme in Helmand Province; what their responsibilities are; and what their budget is. [86689]

Dr. Howells: The UK is spending £270 million over three years in support of the Afghan national drug control strategy. As part of this we have provided £276,000 in support of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics’ Poppy Elimination programme. The Poppy Elimination programme is a year-round programme operating in seven priority provinces including Helmand. It has been designed to assist provincial authorities deter poppy crop planting through public awareness and community outreach. The Poppy Elimination programme teams are also responsible for monitoring poppy cultivation, farmers’ planting intentions and the existence and effectiveness of licit rural development assistance. There are normally seven Afghan members of staff (who are employed by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics) and two international advisers in each Poppy Elimination programme team. Members of our embassy drugs team in Kabul have regular and frequent contact with members of the Poppy Elimination programme teams.


24 July 2006 : Column 978W

China

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to her Chinese counterparts on the human rights situation in that country. [86705]

Mr. McCartney: The Government regularly raises human rights issues with the Chinese Government, through ministerial and official contacts, our bilateral Human Rights Dialogue and EU mechanisms. During my visit to China from 14-17 July, I urged the Chinese Government to make early progress towards ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and raised concern about restrictions on freedom of expression, including on the internet and the movement and reporting of journalists. A range of human rights issues, including individual cases, were discussed in depth at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 3 July.

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on human rights violations against practitioners of Falun Gong in China. [86706]

Mr. McCartney: The Government regularly raises with the Chinese Government reports of the harassment and arbitrary detention of Falun Gong practitioners, most recently at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 3 July. The Government are aware of media reports of widespread organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China, and a report by a former Canadian Cabinet Minister which supports these allegations. We have seen no further evidence to date to substantiate these reports. We will continue to raise our concerns about human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to promote human rights observance in China. [88194]

Mr. McCartney: The Government regularly encourages the Chinese Government to improve its observance of human rights, through ministerial engagement, the UK-China human rights dialogue and EU mechanisms. The Government also funds a number of projects in China to improve human rights observance on the ground. These are detailed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) annual human rights report available on the FCO website at:

www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/HumanRights2005.pdf. Our considered view is that a process of critical dialogue is the most effective way of achieving long-term improvements in the field of human rights. I raised human rights issues with the Chinese Government during my recent visit to China. We shall continue to take every appropriate opportunity to raise our concerns about human rights with China.


24 July 2006 : Column 979W

Correspondence

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average cost to her Department was of replying to a letter written (a) by an hon. Member and (b) by a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down into (i) officials’ time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs. [80481]

Mr. Hoon: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performanceof departments in replying to hon. Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006 (col. 76ws-78ws).

The information requested is not recorded and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Drugs Trade

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 625, on the drugs trade, when she will place in the Library the details of the Afghan poppy eradication programme, maps and a video. [87747]

Dr. Howells: I apologise that we have, to date, been unable to locate the material to which my hon. Friend refers. As my hon. Friend will know, officials are in the process of searching archived records from 2002 and will provide any relevant material as soon as theyare able.

East Timor

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the reply the Prime Minister sent to the letter dated 10 March sent by the International Press Institute on the killings of journalists in East Timor. [86000]

Mr. McCartney [holding answer 17 July 2006]: Yes. The letter officials sent to the International Press Institute on 4 July, in response to their letter of10 March, will be placed in the Library of the House. I will also arrange for a copy of the letter to be sent to my right. hon. Friend.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 931W, on East Timor, what assessment she has made of whether acts of violence in Timor-Leste in 1999 (a) constituted crimes against humanity, (b) were planned by the Indonesian military and (c) were undertaken in opposition to the US mission sanctioned by Indonesia. [87090]

Mr. McCartney: We have no record of any independent detailed assessment of these issues. However, the UN-established serious crimes unit was mandated to investigate crimes against humanity and other serious crimes committed in East Timor in 1999 and issued a number of indictments against people who were serving in the Indonesian military at that
24 July 2006 : Column 980W
time. A parallel process, the Commission for Reception, Reconciliation and Truth (CAVR) was set up by East Timor to look at less serious offences. The CAVR report found that human rights abuses were committed by Indonesian security forces. These human rights abuses were clearly contrary to the aims of the UN Mission to East Timor.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 863W, on East Timor, what assessment she has made of the role of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR); if she will encourage the Security Council to take CAVR’s findings into consideration; what assessment she has made of the competence of the Joint Indonesian and Timor-Leste Commission of Truth and Friendship to investigate acts of violence in Timor-Leste (a) in 1999 and (b) before 1999; and if she will make a statement. [87091]

Mr. McCartney: We recognise the important work done by the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation to promote reconciliation in East Timor, both through its Community Reconciliation Process—whereby those responsible for less serious crimes made amends for their actions outside the formal judicial system, supporting grassroots reconciliation—and through its attempts to determine the truth about human rights violations from 1974-1999. It is for the UN Secretary-General to decide whether to disseminate the Commission’s report within the UN, including in the Security Council. The Commission for Truth and Friendship was set up by the Governments of East Timor and Indonesia specifically to look at the events surrounding the 1999 referendum. It commenced work in August 2005, for a period of one year and an extension has recently been announced until at least May next year. The central element to the Commission’s work is truth and reconciliation rather than seeking to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations to court.

The members of the Commission are all well-respected in the field of human rights law and are widely considered to be competent for the work of the Commission.

Human Rights (Tibet)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China on the protection of human rights in Tibet. [68195]

Mr. McCartney: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying.

We regularly raise human rights issues, including Tibet, with the Chinese Government. I raised human rights in Tibet during my visit to China this month. Tibet was discussed at the EU-China human rights dialogue in May and the UK-China human rights dialogue on 3 July, including individual cases of concern. EU representatives in Beijing raised reports of violent handling of a protest at Drepung Monastery with the Chinese Government in December 2005. We will continue to raise concerns about human rights abuses in Tibet at every appropriate opportunity.


24 July 2006 : Column 981W

India

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she plans to have with her counterpart in India about whether there are any security lessons that the UK can learn from the recent bombings in Mumbai, India. [86885]

Dr. Howells: I would expect future discussions with Indian Ministers to include terrorism and the implications of the Mumbai bombings. UK officials here and in India have been in detailed discussions with the Indian authorities following the bombings and are considering what lessons we need to draw from these attacks. The authorities in India are still conducting their investigations.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) discussions between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Mamnohan Singh of India regarding giving India access to US nuclear technology and (b) the implications of those discussions for (i) the non-proliferation treaty and (ii) regional stability. [86898]

Dr. Howells: We believe the agreement between the US and India on nuclear arrangements can make a significant contribution to energy security, development, economic and environmental objectives for India and the international community, as well as representing a net gain for the non-proliferation regime. The UK has strongly supported this initiative from its inception and has been actively involved throughout.

We also believe that the initiative can have a positive impact on the broader nuclear non-proliferation framework, of which the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) is the cornerstone. We do not believe the agreement will have a direct impact upon the NPT. We remain committed to the objective of universal NPT adherence.

India has undertaken for the first time to put a large proportion of its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, including all future civilian reactors, to sign an additional protocol with the IAEA, to adhere to the guidelines of the missile technology control regime and the nuclear suppliers group, to continue its unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, and to work with the US for a multilateral fissile material cut off treaty. Implementation of these commitments will bring India further into, and thereby strengthen, the broader nuclear non-proliferation framework, which is underpinned by the NPT. We judge that these steps will enhance regional stability.

Khmer Insurgents (British Training)

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to the letter of23 December 2005, (your ref: 967/05: Freedom of Information), promising a response as a matter of urgency
24 July 2006 : Column 982W
to the letter from the hon. Member for Sunderland South of 25 November 2005, on British training of Khmer insurgents in the 1980s, when she expects to reply. [87087]

Mr. McCartney: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is conducting an internal review of its handling of my hon. Friend’s Freedom of Information request and hopes to provide a substantive response within one month.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreements were reached during recent discussions between the Government and the Libyan Government. [86467]

Dr. Howells: I visited Libya from 25-27 June and met the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Ministers for Justice, Training and Employment, Economic Co-operation, and Europe. Our discussions covered bilateral relations, co-operation on counter terrorism, education and training, human rights, migration, and trade and investment. I raised the case of WPC Fletcher and also the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical staff and the HIV crisis in Benghazi. We shared views on regional issues, including Darfur.

I met again with the Libyan Minister for Europe in London on 17 July. During the visit I signed on behalf of the UK the ‘Joint Letter on Peace and Security’, a copy of which has been circulated in the United Nations Security Council. I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House and also for a copy of the ‘Joint Letter on Peace and Security’, to be sent to the hon. Member. The UK’s discussions with the Libyan Government are ongoing.

North Korea

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government supports Japan’s proposed freeze on North Korean assets held overseas following recent missile tests. [86899]

Mr. McCartney: On 15 July, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1695. This requires UN member states to prevent missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology being transferred to or from the North Korean missile or weapons of mass destruction programmes, and prevent the transfer of any financial resources in relation to those programmes. The UK will implement this resolution in full, and expects others to do the same. It is entirely understandable that those in the region most immediately threatened by North Korea's actions might wish to consider additional measures of the sort in mind in Japan.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Government made to support the UN resolution criticizing North Korea's recent missile tests proposed by the UN ambassador from Japan. [86900]


24 July 2006 : Column 983W

Mr. McCartney: The UK strongly agreed that the UN Security Council should respond urgently and robustly to North Korea's missile tests of 5 July. We therefore worked closely with Japan and other Security Council partners on the draft resolution. Security Council Resolution 1695, which was unanimously adopted by the Security Council on 15 July, condemns North Korean behaviour and requires them to suspend missile testing, re-establish their moratorium on tests, and return immediately, without pre-conditions, to the six party talks on their nuclear weapons programmes. We have urged the North Koreans to comply with these requirements and hope they will do so without delay.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many parliamentary questions tabled to her Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85205]

Mr. Hoon: There were 113 parliamentary questions tabled to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) awaiting reply at the end of 10 July 2006. Of those, 12 had been waiting more than two weeks and up to three weeks for a reply and 16 had been waiting longer than three weeks for a reply.

The reasons for delay can be categorised as follows:

    Sixteen of the questions required additional information/input from FCO officials in the UK and overseas before they could be answered;

    Twelve of the questions were awaiting ministerial clearance. In many cases the delay was due to heavy travel commitments by Ministers.

The FCO places great importance on parliamentary questions and undertakes to answer all questions promptly. FCO Ministers and officials endeavour to answer named day questions on the allocated day and ordinary written questions within one week. Since October 2005, the FCO has answered 80 per cent. of ordinary written questions and 78 per cent. of named day questions on time.

Somalia

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in Somalia. [86412]

Mr. McCartney: The Government are concerned at the recent violence in Somalia. We condemn it and urge all parties within, and outside, Somalia not to take any action which might perpetuate or provoke further violence, endanger the fragile cease-fire agreed between the Transitional Federal government and the Islamic Courts in Khartoum on 22 June, threaten the progress of dialogue between the parties in Somalia or damage the already dire humanitarian situation there. We promote dialogue, not confrontation. There are no military solutions to Somalia’s problems.

The UK welcomes the United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement issued on Thursday
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13 July 2006. As it states, support for the Transitional Federal Institutions as the route to restore peace and security to Somalia, broad-based and inclusive dialogue and compliance with the UN Arms Embargo on Somalia should represent the cornerstones of the international community’s Somalia policy. The full text of the statement can be found on the UN website at:

    http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8773.doc.htm

Southern Iraq Donor Group

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) remit and (b) membership is of the Southern Iraq Donor Group; how often it meets; what its goals are; how its performance is measured; and if she will make a statement. [86678]

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.

The Southern Iraq Donor Group’s (SIDG) goal is to improve the co-ordination of donors in the region and to create the necessary relationships to ensure good communication.

SIDG meets in Basra once or twice a month. The meetings are co-ordinated and chaired by the United Nations. Although no fixed membership exists, most of the international actors in Southern Iraq—both military and civilian—attend the meetings including, for example, the US State Department, the United States agency for International Development (USAID), Multi-National Division (South East), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), the US Military Corps of Engineers and the Danish Office. Not only is DFID one of the founders of the group, but it remains a member.

The outcomes of workshops, implications of policy decisions and the impact of visits to Basra are all discussed, as well as any future joint projects and workshops that donors agree on.

As for the performance of the SIDG, there is consensus among participants that it has been very effective in bringing donors together and hasimproved co-ordination both of programmes and communications.

Timor-Leste

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 315W, on East Timor, in what ways the joint UK-Australian police training initiative will augment past UN police training of forces in Timor-Leste; and what measures are in place to ensure integration of the UK-Australian initiative with the existing UN operation in Timor-Leste. [87088]

Mr. McCartney: The UK-Australian Timor-Leste Police Development programme (TLPDP) has been running since July 2004. The programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of the East Timorese police service to maintain law and order effectively and professionally with full respect for human rights. The TLPDP complements other past and current police training undertaken by the UN and bilaterally. The programme has had a number of successes, including
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the design of a new curriculum at the police academy to incorporate human rights materials throughout. It produced its first batch of East Timorese trainers in November 2005, who were able to graduate their first basic recruit course of 260 new personnel earlier this year. The TLPDP recently received a favourable mention in the 2006 human rights watch report. Discussions have been held with the UN assessment team to look at how the work of TLPDP might complement that of the new UN policing activity in East Timor.

UN Human Rights Council

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s position is on the recent decision by the new UN Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to the Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement. [86677]

Dr. Howells: At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 July, EU Foreign Ministers expressed their support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General. We welcome the UN’s fact finding visit to the Occupied Territories.

US Department of Justice

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had with representatives of the United States’ Department of Justice in the last 12 months. [86487]

Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any meetings with representatives of the United States Department of Justice since taking up office. Officials from our embassy in Washington meet regularly with representatives of the United States Department of Justice. Most recently, they accompanied my noble Friend the Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, on calls on representatives of the Department during her visit to Washington on 13 and 14 July.

International Development

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87060]

Mr. Thomas: DFID did not have any major advertising campaigns during this period, and any activities which might be categorised as advertising were not disaggregated from programme activity and spend across DFID during this period. To undertake information gathering to separate out such costs would incur disproportionate costs. The main advertising costs incurred during this period were for recruitment advertising and is listed as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 986W
Financial year Spend (£)

2000-01

751,972

2001-02

1,208,192

2002-03

914,571

2003-04

849,196


Afghanistan

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 10 July, 2006, Official Report, columns 1404-0W, on Afghanistan, what the job description is for each of the roles listed. [85762]

Hilary Benn: DFID has 16 UK officials currently based in Afghanistan. 14 are based in Kabul, one in Badakhshan and one in Helmand. Job descriptions for these posts are as follows:

Head of DFID Afghanistan

    Overall financial, policy, programme, management, and security responsibility for DFID programme and staff in Afghanistan.

Deputy Head

    Provides the full range of support to the Head of Department, including acting as Head during the Head of Department's absence. Specific responsibility for policy, programme and strategy issues and leadership of team responsible for briefing and liaison with other Government Departments.

Economic Programme Manager

    Leads on the policy, planning and implementation of Economic Management and Aid Effectiveness team objectives. This includes strengthening donor co-ordination and harmonisation in Afghanistan; contributing to discussions on key issues affecting the economic management reform agenda; management of technical assistance to Ministries of Finance; and overseeing and managing the design and implementation of the team project portfolio, which focuses on aid channelled through the Government budget.

Programme and Strategy Co-ordinator

    Provides support to the Head of Office in the co-ordination and direction of DFID's overall programme of support to the Government of Afghanistan. Duties include the development and communication of policy and strategy; building and strengthening partnerships between DFID Afghanistan and other donors; and effective support to Ministers and Senior Officials on programme-wide issues.

Policy and Programme and Strategy Programme Officer

    Provides support, guidance and mentoring to local programme staff to build capacity in effective project/programme cycle management. Provide responses to general public inquiries, freedom of information requests, parliamentary questions and ministerial correspondence. Supports the development and implementation of DFID's communication strategy. Maintains an accurate financial overview of the DFID programme, and provides some administrative assistance to the Head of Office.

Livelihoods Programme Manager

    Leads on policy, planning and implementation of the Livelihoods work programme. Main duties include ensuring the livelihoods programme contributes effectively to delivery of
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    DFID's strategy in Afghanistan; development of priority planned new activities in the Livelihoods portfolio; and engagement with other donors and the Afghanistan Government on strengthening the policy and planning environment for broad livelihoods work. Also the security officer for DFID.

Livelihoods Adviser

    Contributes to the development of nationally-owned strategies and programmes addressing rural livelihoods in Afghanistan; monitors DFID interventions in rural livelihoods through participating in programme/project committees; and prepares briefings on livelihood issues and DFID progress for UK Ministers and senior officials.

State Building Programme Manager

Leads on the policy, planning and implementation of the state building team and its programme. This includes DFID's contribution to key issues affecting the public administration reform and security sector reform agenda. Also oversees the office finances and imprest account.

Conflict Adviser

    Works within the state building team on design and implementation of security sector reform policy and programming. Key duties include providing effective support on policy and programmes relating to security and development issues; building relationships with international donors, Provincial Reconstruction Teams and the military in order to build a more coordinated and coherent response in area of security and development; providing effective advice and leadership on the strategic direction of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for Afghanistan in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD); and maintaining responsibility for building awareness and communication on issues of civil-military coordination.

Deputy Programme Manager, State Building

    Responsible for ensuring effective project/programme cycle management in line with DFID procedures and good practice; supporting the team leader in policy dialogue and formulation, particularly in the area of public administration reform and provincial stabilisation; providing responses to requests for briefing and parliamentary questions; and composing reports on different aspects of the team's programme.

Office/HR Manager

    Lead responsibility for HR issues including posting and promotion, external recruitment and staff development. Responsibility for the day-to-day running of the office, and ensuring the administration team has effective systems in place to meet corporate rules and regulations. Lead responsibility for administration budget, forecasting, further development of financial management and responsibility for asset management.

Deputy Office Manager

    Supports the office manager to ensure effective day-to-day running of the office and guest houses. Responsible for financial monitoring of the administration budget; ensuring delivery of all basic office services including logistics for all visitors for which DFID have duty of care; ensuring vehicle fleet is managed effectively; and monitoring of health and safety procedures.

Secondee to the British Embassy Drugs Team

    DFID representative in the British Embassy Drugs Team, with a particular responsibility for advising on development and rural livelihoods issues.


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International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Development Adviser

    Provides advice to the Commander of ISAF, the ISAF Command Group and HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Core (ARRC)/ISAF planning staff regarding the impact of military activities on development and humanitarian issues. Also responsible for liaising with NATO member states regarding current development and humanitarian priorities to ensure coherence of HQ ARRC/ISAF strategy and planning; Badakhshan.

Development Adviser

    Located in a multi-donor mission in Faizerbad, concentrating on sub-national governance reform work, development coordination with provincial authorities and ensuring that national programmes can be rolled out and implemented at a provincial level. Currently in Kabul awaiting deployment.

Helmand Development Adviser

    Located in the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), helping develop, maintain and articulate a strategic vision and operational work plan for the PRT including how DFID can best contribute to provincial stabilisation in the south.

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much was paid by the Government in compensation to farmers in Afghanistan for voluntary opium poppy eradication in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005; [86475]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of farmers in Afghanistan who were entitled to compensation from the UK Government for voluntary opium poppy eradication but did not receive it in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005. [86544]

Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.

The Government provided £21.25 million in support of the Afghan Interim Administration’s 2002 compensated eradication programme. Eradication in 2003, 2004 and 2005 was not compensated and compensated eradication does not form part of the present Afghan Government’s National Drug Control Strategy.

The Afghan Government considered it appropriate to compensate farmers for eradication in 2002 because the 2002 crop was planted before the current regime came to power. We provided support because we believed it was important to support a new regime determined to take tough decisions to tackle drugs. However, it was the responsibility of the Afghan authorities to implement the programme and to ensure that compensation payments were made. We understand from the Afghan authorities that a total of 17,000 hectares of poppy was eradicated under the 2002 programme. The number of farmers compensated is a matter for the Government of Afghanistan.

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on (a) opium poppy eradication and (b) rural development in Afghanistan in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2006. [86490]

Hilary Benn: The information is as follows.


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Spending on opium poppy eradication

None of the UK spending for opium poppy eradication comes from DFID’s budget. In 2002, the UK provided financial assistance worth £21.25 million to support the new regime’s compensated eradication programme. The programme was led by the Afghan Transitional Authority who considered it appropriate to offer a one-off programme of payments to opium farmers on the basis that the poppy crop had been planted during the Taliban regime, before the current regime came to power.

Over financial years 2003-04 and 2004-06, the UK allocated the following amounts to support the Government of Afghanistan carry out poppy eradication in Afghanistan:

Financial year Eradication (£ million)

2003-04

1.33

2004-05

2.25

2005-06

5.71


Spending on rural development

The opium economy is a major threat to the prospects for stability, peace and sustainable poverty reduction in Afghanistan. DFID has therefore increased its livelihoods programme significantly in recent years, supporting the Government of Afghanistan to develop the legal economy, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for poor people who currently rely on the illegal opium trade for their income. Since 2002, DFID has spent the following amount on improving rural livelihoods in Afghanistan.

Financial year Rural development (£ million)

2002-03

0.3

2003-04

6.3

2004-05

7.8

2005-06

45


AIDS/ Tuberculosis /Malaria Global Fund

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the progress of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. [86429]

Mr. Thomas: The mid-term review of the first replenishment of the Global Fund took place on4-6 July. The review highlighted that the Global Fund is demonstrating significant progress against key targets, is improving grant performance, especially in weak systems and fragile states, and is implementing the recommendations of the Global Task Team on improving AIDS co-ordination among multilateral institutions and international donors.

To date, a total of US $8.9 billion has been pledged and/or contributed to the Global Fund through to 2008. As of 1 June 2006, the Global Fund had approved a total of US $5.4 billion to nearly 400 grants in 131 countries. Of the US $5.4 billion approved, US $2.3 billion has been disbursed to public and private recipients in 127 countries and to date, 89 per cent. of approved grants have signed grant agreements. Results achieved so far include:


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    544,000 people on antiretroviral treatment

    1.43 million received tuberculosis treatment

    11.3 million insecticide-treated bed nets distributed

    7.3 million people treated for malaria

    5.7 million people received HIV counselling and testing

    560,000 orphans provided with basic care and support.

However, the Global Fund continues to face many challenges, including aligning its programs with country priorities and planning processes, and generating sufficient long-term resources from a more diverse donor base to meet its future needs.

The Global Fund’s revised resource needs for 2006 and 2007 is US $5.5 billion. There is a current funding gap of US $2.1 billion for this period, of which, US $0.7 billion is needed to fund round 6 of new grants that will be approved in November 2006.

Angola

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the government of Angola concerning its request for a post conflict donor conference; and if he will make a statement. [85538]

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave on 3 November 2005, Official Report, column 1292W.

DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are keen to improve dialogue between the Government of Angola, donors and investors in the country. We are working closely with other bilateral donors and the World Bank to create a Forum for Development and Investment, aimed at improving the harmonisation of reconstruction efforts in Angola. We are following up this issue with the Government of Angola.

Argentina

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Department funds projects in Argentina to tackle (a) trafficking in people and (b) the commercial sexual exploitation of children. [86343]

Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development is not funding any projects in Argentina to tackle trafficking in people or the commercial exploitation of children.

Cholera

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of outbreaks of cholera in (a) Southern Sudan and (b) Southern Africa. [87466]

Hilary Benn: In South Sudan, an ongoing cholera epidemic has resulted in 16,964 reported cases of the disease, with 504 deaths. Of these, 6,163 cases and 116 deaths have been in Juba. The international response, working in partnership with the Sudanese Ministry of Health, has recently made good progress in bringing the outbreak under control in the South. Over the last week in Juba, for instance, there were only 10 new cases and no deaths reported. There continue to be new cases
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reported in some parts of the South but the response has become increasingly effective in containing these and treating those infected, according to DFID’s humanitarian partners.

The UN Common Humanitarian Fund in Sudan, to which the UK is the largest donor with £49 million this year, has played a key role in funding the international and local response to the cholera outbreak in the South, through UN agencies and NGOs.

In Angola, a widespread cholera epidemic has been ongoing since mid-February, when the first case of cholera was reported in the Boa Vista slum area of Luanda. Due primarily to heavy rains, and poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, the epidemic spread rapidly to the other municipalities and then to neighbouring provinces (Benguela, Bengo, Kuanza Norde, Malanje, Huambom, Namibe and Bie).

Even though the epidemic has calmed considerably from its peak at the beginning of May, when more than 500 cases were being reported per day, it continues to result in 100 new cases per day across the country. By July 11, the Angolan Ministry of Health reported a total of 49,620 cases of cholera and 2,040 deaths since mid-February, making it the most serious outbreak ever to have affected Angola.

DFID has provided £200,000 to Medecins Sans Frontieres to help combat the epidemic in Angola, and is currently supporting UNICEF with a grant of£3.5 million to tackle some of the root causes of Angola’s vulnerability to cholera outbreaks, including the poorest’s access to primary health care, safe water and sanitation.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the Unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; by what means (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement. [81325]

Hilary Benn: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memoranda to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.

A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers can be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Departmental Staff

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [82230]

Mr. Thomas: The number of disabled staff in DFID that received support through the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table:


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DFID staff (number)

2001-02

1

2002-03

1

2003-04

0

2004-05

0

2005-06

3

2006-07

0

Total

5


Departmental Travel Costs

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1408W, on departmental travel costs, whether each flight was a return flight; how many of the trips involved overnight stays; what the cost of overnight stays was; what the purpose was of the trips; and what assessment was made of using alternative travel to Glasgow to achieve the objectives. [86376]

Mr. Thomas: There were 1,056 return flights from London to Glasgow during 2005, 874 of which involved overnight stays at a total cost of £126,642. All travellers are required to confirm the business purpose when booking flights but DFID does not keep a central record. We are evaluating our investment in video-conferencing and better communication to provide a cost effective alternative to travel and staff must confirm before booking flights that they have considered conducting their business by other methods.

Developing Countries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department’s commitments to address climate change and environmental degradation in developing countries. [87475]

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) has issued two key papers in recent months outlining our commitments on climate change and the environment.

DFID’s new White Paper, ‘Eliminating world poverty: making governance work for the poor’ was launched on 13 July. The White Paper addresses the need for a coherent approach to global environmental challenges and development, such as climate change. It states that:

    environmental wealth—natural resources—is a main source of growth in developing countries, and central to livelihoods of poor people;

    environmental sustainability is one of the seven essential components for developing country growth;

    we can help countries develop better approaches to using assets e.g. forests and water, in a more sustainable manner, and help manage the environmental impacts of growth;

    we need to focus on the global consequences of growth—climate change has negative consequences for poor countries;

    developing countries need assistance to access cleaner energy;

    we need better information about the predicted impacts of climate change; and

    developing countries need support to adapt and build resilience to climate change.


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In February 2006, DFID published a policy paper, “DFID’s Approach to the Environment”. It outlines how we incorporate sustainability and environment into our work. The paper sets out principles for tackling environmental challenges, to be applied according to the circumstances of country programmes. These include:

    integrating environmental management for poverty reduction into our work, focusing on opportunities as well as risks;

    supporting country driven processes e.g. poverty reduction strategies, to integrate local and global environmental priorities;

    providing technical assistance in selected countries and circumstances; and

    strengthening donor co-ordination on the environment, internationally and at country level.

The paper has an implementation plan agreed across DFID and approved by Top Management. Each division is responsible for ensuring that it delivers on implementation. Progress will be reviewed in spring 2007.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department will assist in strengthening (a) biodiversity, (b) the ecosystem and (c) conservation services in developing countries. [87476]

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to incorporating biodiversity into development in helping to improve poor people’s livelihoods and in supporting developing countries to use the benefits of biodiversity and conservation to reduce poverty.

Our major contribution to international biodiversity conservation is made through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF provides grants and concessional funds to help developing countries fund projects and programmes for sustainable management of the global environment. One third of the GEF’s funds are spent on biodiversity and it is the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The UK is currently the fourth largest donor, contributing £118 million in the third replenishment period (2002-05). We are working to ensure a successful fourth replenishment.

DFID recognises that biodiversity and the ecosystems it supports have a significant contribution to make towards poverty alleviation. However, the links between biodiversity, ecosystems and poverty often remain poorly understood. DFID is involved in a number of initiatives to develop a better understanding of mechanisms to capture the value of biodiversity and ecosystems.

For instance, DFID is currently working to develop a collaborative research programme on Ecosystem Services and Poverty with the Nature Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Biodiversity will be a sub-theme within this programme.

DFID is also one of the key contributors to the Ecosystems Marketplace. It serves as a one-stop shop for information on ecosystem service markets where providers and beneficiaries of ecosystem services can get together. More information is available at: http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/. Additionally, DFID has engaged in a collaborative research project with the
24 July 2006 : Column 994W
UK’s fourth largest fund manager—ISIS Asset Management—to examine the nature of the relationship between biodiversity and business and the associated risks.

As well as these initiatives, DFID works to ensures that its development assistance does not contribute to damage to ecosystems. Environmental Screening, mandatory for all DFID assistance greater than£1 million, identifies environmental risks and opportunities. We are currently reviewing Environmental Screening experience since 2003. This will consider compliance with procedures and the quality of screening.

We also work to ensure that there is a coherent Government approach to international biodiversity. To achieve this, an Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Biodiversity (IDMGB), comprising DFID, the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers has been established.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department work on (a) climate change and (b) other environmental issues in developing countries, based(i) in the UK and (ii) abroad. [87478]

Hilary Benn: Implementing DFID’s environment policy involves a range of staff, including programme managers and advisers with environment, livelihoods and infrastructure responsibilities.

DFID has 18 specialist environment posts working on climate change and environment. Of these, 12 are full-time environment posts; and six combine environment with other responsibilities, such as livelihoods or infrastructure.

In the UK, the Sustainable Development Group in Policy Division is home to ten specialist environment and natural resource posts split between three teams:

    Global Environmental Assets (covering climate change, biodiversity, desertification etc.);

    Environment for Sustainable Development (local environmental issues and minerals); and

    Water and Energy.

Policy work on agriculture (including fisheries and forestry) is carried out by the Renewable Natural Resources and Agriculture team in Policy Division’s Growth and Investment Group.

On environment in developing countries, Asia Division has a regional adviser based in the UK and advisers in China, India and Bangladesh. Africa Division has two regional advisers based in UK and one adviser based in Kenya.

In addition to its environment specialists, many of DFID’s livelihoods and infrastructure advisers have relevant background or qualifications for working on environmental issues. Ten out of 38 infrastructure advisers have formal environmental professional qualifications e.g. Institution of Water and Environmental Management. Over half of our livelihoods advisers have natural resources qualifications and experience (e.g. soil science, forestry). Each group is lead by a head of profession. The head of profession environment post is currently filled on an acting basis but we will be advertising
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shortly. DFID’s chief scientific adviser has been providing support on climate change and agriculture. This role has been formalised in his work plan for 2006-07.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings he has had with other Ministers to discuss climate change and its impact on developing countries in the last 12 months. [87479]

Hilary Benn: I was a member of the ad-hoc ministerial committee on climate change established prior to the G8 summit in 2005 to give officials a steer on this issue. This group met several times in the run up to the summit. Following the G8 summit responsibility for the international dimension of the UK’s climate change strategy was taken on by the ministerial committee on energy and environment (EE), chaired by the Prime Minister, of which I am a member. In late June 2006, I met with the cross-party group of MPs who are participating in the G8+5 climate change dialogue, to discuss DFID’s approach to tackling climate change. Climate change has also been identified as a key priority in the UK Government’s latest Development White Paper.

At a side event at the World Bank annual meetings in September 2005, the World Bank president, Paul Wolfowitz and I officially launched the energy investment framework, which is to leverage private sector investment in lower carbon energy and energy efficiency with an emphasis on developing countries, particularly those with the fastest growing energy needs. This is an important element of the G8 plan of action on climate change, clean energy and sustainable development.

At the World Bank spring meetings in April 2006 the first draft of the investment framework received broad support from development committee members.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department allocated to tackling diseases in developing countries in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by disease. [87729]

Mr. Thomas: DFID uses a range of different aid instruments, from direct support to countries to funding through multilateral agencies. It is therefore not possible to break down spending on individual communicable diseases; however it is possible to separate out AIDS from other communicable diseases.

DFID’s spend on communicable diseases apart from AIDS in 2004-05 was £80 million. Recording AIDS-specific expenditure is difficult because there are a range of sectors which have an impact on the epidemic, including health, education, social development and good government. There are also a range of instruments used to channel AIDS-related development spending. DFID has been working with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and others to review and improve these expenditure calculations. While refinements to the methodology are still in progress, DFID has reported a provisional bilateral expenditure of £350 million on AIDS for the period 2004-05.


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The focus of our work in health is to help countries strengthen their health systems both to prevent and mitigate the impact of communicable diseases. Functioning systems are crucial for effectively tackling diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia and vaccine preventable disease epidemics as well as HIV, TB and malaria. In 2004-05, the UK provided more than£360 million to support health services through our country, regional and research programmes and provided a further £110 million for health through multilateral assistance to World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN agencies.

The UK also provides general poverty reduction budget support to countries to help build basic services, including for health. We are supporting a number of innovative financing mechanisms to increase resources to tackle communicable diseases. For example, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation will raise an additional £4 billion from a number of donors for vaccines for the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisations and help support the development of new vaccines for communicable diseases that can be prevented.

Food Security (Africa)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of the food security situation in (a) Southern Africa, (b) the Horn of Africa and (c) Western Africa. [87465]

Hilary Benn: In Southern Africa, the overall picture on food production shows a marked improvement this year compared to the 2004-05 growing season, when DFID spent more than £67 million to deliver emergency assistance to up to 11 million affected people. Urgent humanitarian needs are unlikely this year, except in Zimbabwe, where needs remain pronounced.

Malawi and Zambia are reporting excellent harvests this year, with projected maize production figures for both countries almost double the volumes recorded in 2005. This should feed into more stable prices and improved access in the coming months. Production in South Africa has decreased sharply this year—a result of depressed prices in 2005 in the domestic market—but carryover stocks from last year are high. The food security outlook for the coming year is worst in Zimbabwe. Although food production is up on last year’s levels, more than 1 million Zimbabweans still require sustained assistance to help them meet their food requirements.

In West Africa, the food security situation is improved compared to 2005, although continuing humanitarian concerns persist, particularly in the Sahel. In Niger, where populations continue to struggle against the legacies of last year’s crisis, up to1.8 million people are currently facing acute difficulties in the ongoing hungry season, with up to 400,000 malnourished children expected to require nutritional therapy this year. In Mauritania, the hungry season is judged to have started early, with up to 400,000 facing acute levels of food-insecurity, particularly in the south. DFID currently has an ongoing humanitarian
24 July 2006 : Column 997W
and hunger-related programme of assistance for the Sahel worth £4 million this year.

Prospects for recovery in the Sahel this year appear compromised by erratic, late-starting and below average rains for the current agricultural season. Elsewhere in West Africa, localised problems of food-insecurity affecting relatively few people (particularly in Guinea and Guinea Buissau) are the exception to an otherwise positive prognosis, with good rainfall expected to lead to an above-average maize crop in August.

In the Horn of Africa, DFID shares the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (UN FAO)’s recent assessment that despite improved rains in eastern Africa, food security remains poor among some communities in particular in northern and eastern Kenya, and in Somalia in many of the same areas affected by drought in 2005. In Kenya, overall prospects for the current main cereal crop are favourable, but in Somalia, the outlook is poor and output is expected to be reduced for the third consecutive year. In Eritrea, the picture is mixed. In Ethiopia, the prospects are generally good apart from in parts of the south east. The UN estimates that7.5 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in drought-affected areas. In each of these countries high levels of malnutrition and starvation have been demonstrated among children over the past year. The areas and communities where this occurs should be the priority for food aid assistance, and humanitarian assistance more generally. DFID has committed more than £46 million of humanitarian assistance to the response since the end of 2005.

Haiti

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with the World Health Organisation on access to clean water and sanitation in Haiti. [85998]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 July 2006]: DFID regularly discusses water and sanitation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) through the Joint Monitoring Programme implemented by WHO and UNICEF, which provides data on access to safe water and basic sanitation. However, we have not had any recent specific discussions on Haiti.

Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects are being funded by his Department in Helmand province; and how much is being spent on each project. [85757]

Hilary Benn: During my recent visit to Helmand, I announced a £30 million Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme. This aims to increase economic opportunities for the rural poor of Helmand. It will support the Government of Afghanistan to roll out existing successful National Programmes in Helmand. These programmes will provide improved water and sanitation, essential small scale rural
24 July 2006 : Column 998W
infrastructure, greater access to small loans, improved roads and access to markets and agricultural inputs and training to the people of Helmand. The programme will be implemented over three years.

DFID also has a £1 million project to deliver quick impact activities. Sub-projects under this include encouraging confidence in Government amongst local people, improving security for schools, improving drinking water and sanitation, and road building. £113,895 of the £1 million has been formally committed, and £71,166 spent. A project list is attached. £400,000 more of sub-projects are currently under consideration.

Project Start day in May 2006 Total cost (£) Amount paid to date (£)

Rehabilitation of the a shrine: construction of wall and gate

15

11,968

4,778

Rehabilitation of area adjoining shrine of road and footpath

15

18,149

7,222

Improving a Friday market and construction of protection wall

15

67,871

47,472

Improving a Friday market

15

14,018

9,806

Disbursement of food aid provided by Government of Afghanistan

18

1,889

1,889

Total

113,895

71,166


Of the projects currently committed, the shrine, surrounding area and the market place respond directly to requests from the local population. The shrine is a popular meeting point attracting hundreds of visitors from around the province. The adjoining area is especially popular with women who come to walk there with their children. All the rehabilitation projects listed were carried out by an Afghan NGO to ensure cultural sensitivity in delivery. Initial feedback on the rehabilitation suggests that this work has been well received.

DFID has committed a further £3 million to the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) for military managed activities.

Java Earthquake/Tsunami

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has provided in response to the earthquake that struck Java in May. [87285]

Mr. Thomas: DFID has so far given £5 million to relief agencies working to address the urgent humanitarian needs of people affected by the earthquake that struck Java in May. That support includes £1 million for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to pay for the provision of emergency relief supplies. The rest of the money is being spent through various UN and non-governmental organisations to provide medical supplies and services, shelter and water and sanitation.


24 July 2006 : Column 999W

DFID recently committed a further £5 million for the longer-term reconstruction of the area of Java affected by the earthquake. DFID is now working with the Indonesian Government and other agencies to develop a plan to rebuild as quickly and as safely as possible, and to ensure that new buildings are suitably earthquake-resistant so as to avoid a future disaster of this scale.

Java

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given the Java island following the tsunami; and if he will make a statement. [87665]

Mr. Thomas: DFID has not provided any assistance in the wake of the tsunami in Central and West Java because the Government of Indonesia has stated thatit does not require international assistance. The Indonesian Minister of People’s Welfare has provided 750 million Indonesian Rupiah (80 million US Dollars)
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to the local government in Ciasmis, West Java and250 million Indonesian Rupiah (27 million US Dollars) to the local government in Cilacap, Central Java for their emergency response.

DFID staff in Jakarta and London continue to monitor the situation and are ready to provide assistance if it is needed.

Lebanon

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK aid was granted to Lebanon in each of the last five years; and how these funds were allocated. [88124]

Hilary Benn: The UK channels most of its aid to Lebanon through the EC and the UN. The multilateral figures are based on UK core contributions to theEC and the UN. The UK has also provided some bilateral support to Lebanon, largely through the ‘Small Grants scheme’ administered by the Foreignand Commonwealth Office.

Multilateral (£ million) Bilateral, (£ million)
EC UN Total multilateral Grants and other aid in kind Humanitarian assistance Total bilateral Grand total

2000-01

5.4

4.1

9.4

0.23

0.407

0.636

10.08

2001-02

1.1

5.3

6.4

0.111

0

0.111

6.48

2002-03

1.8

4.5

6.2

0.232

0

0.232

6.45

2003-04

3.7

4.2

7.9

0.102

0

0.102

8.04

2004-05

6.9

7.9

14.8

0.297

0

0.297

15.06


Over the last five years, DFID has also made significant contributions to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon including through the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) (£4.2 million this year). UNRWA’s activities supporting mainly the basic needs of Palestinian refugees providing camp facilities, health, education and food aid and job creation activities.

The World Bank also maintains a significant loan portfolio in Lebanon, but this in not concessional and therefore does not qualify as aid.

Middle East (Project Funding)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what projects his Department is funding in (a) Sudan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Israel and (d) Syria; and if he will make a statement. [87328]

Hilary Benn: We are supporting the following projects and activities in Sudan:

Humanitarian projects

    UN-managed Common Humanitarian Fund, plus support for UN sector co-ordination

    Humanitarian programmes of Non Governmental Organisations

    International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Development projects

    World Bank-managed Multi Donor Trust Funds (National and South), plus consultancy support

    Basic Services Fund for Southern Sudan

    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Local Government Recovery project

    Safety, Security and Access to Justice programme (Southern Sudan)

    Christian Aid: National Strategy

    Capacity Building for Government of Southern Sudan

    UNICEF: Support for Strengthening Water Sector Capacity in Southern Sudan

    Malaria Consortium National Response

    Ockenden International: Partnership for Peace

    Capacity building for Debt Management

    Rift Valley Institute

    GOAL: Female Literacy and Empowerment

    Scholarships programme

    UNDP: Strategic Partnership Arrangement

    Support for UN/ World Bank Darfur needs assessment

    BBC World Service Trust: Darfur Lifeline Radio

    Tufts Institute: Research on livelihoods in Darfur

Peace building

    PACT: Southern Sudanese Pre-Interim Transition to Peace

    UNDP : Support for Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration ( DDR)

    Security Sector Adviser

    International Military Advisers Team

    Peace Building Fund

    Support for East Sudan Talks

    Support for Africa Union information campaign

    Support for the Africa Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)

Responding to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and working to underpin the Comprehensive and the
24 July 2006 : Column 1001W
Darfur Peace Agreements are among DFID's top priorities. This is reflected in the projects that DFID is supporting.

DFID does not fund any projects in Israel. The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), run jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and DFID, is funding the following projects in or involving Israel:

    Peace Now Settlement Watch

    Ir Amin—Advocacy project on the status of Jerusalem

    Economic Co-operation Foundation—Gaza Disengagement

    Council for Peace and Security—Advocacy work on Israeli separation

    HaMoKed/B’Tselem—Freedom of movement for Palestinians

    Palestinian media activities in support of the Roadmap (joint GCPP/USAID)

    Ah Hoc Liaison Committee

    EXACT—Management of Shared Water Resources to Reduce Pollution Risks

DFID has no bilateral programme with Lebanon or Syria but GCPP currently funds one project in Lebanon.

    Police and Justice Sector Reform—Training courses for the Lebanese Internal Security Forces.

Millennium Development Goals

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department measures progress against the Millennium Development Goals in relation to countries where data on performance in key sectors is missing or incomplete. [86032]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 18 July 2006]: DFID uses international data from the World Bank andthe United Nations to assess progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the countries in which it has a programme. It is not possible to assess progress towards the MDGs in countries where data on performance in key sectors is missing or incomplete. In such countries, DFID will identify other ways to measure progress. For example, DFID might use targets contained in partner government national strategies as the basis on which progress is assessed. In some countries, sample surveys conducted through DFID projects or by other agencies provide useful data on which assessments of progress can be made.

DFID is working with many partner countries and with international institutions to improve the quality of the data that are available to measure progress, so that the number of cases of incomplete or missing data are reduced. This includes working with the PARIS 21 (Partnerships in Statistics for Development for the21st Century) consortium of donors, partner countries and multilateral agencies to raise awareness of the problems linked to inadequate statistics.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided for the Millennium
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Ecosystem Assessment; and if his Department will fund a future Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. [87477]

Mr. Thomas: DFID provided funding to the International Institute for Environment and Development of approximately £68,000 for lead co-ordination of a forests working group of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and contributions on climate change. DFID recognises the importance of the Assessment and it informed development of our own environmental policy. As far as we know there are no plans to undertake another Assessment so soon after the previous one. We would consider possible support to such an initiative should this decision be made.

Palestine

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects in the Palestinian Territories funded by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European Union were damaged or destroyed by Israeli military action in the month prior to 19 July. [88156]

Hilary Benn: Because of military activity, aid agencies currently face difficulty assessing the extent of damage to facilities in the Gaza Strip. However, initial reports from northern Gaza indicate that four schools and one clinic provided for Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have sustained heavy damages. Fifty seven empty food containers leased by UNRWA have also been damaged at a cost of £31,000. The European Community and EU member states collectively provide more than half of UNRWA’s core funding and two of the damaged schools were specifically financed from European Community funds.

The main entrance bridge to Beit Hanun was partially destroyed by an Israeli air strike on 9 July. The bridge was built in 2004 with £205,000 in funding from the European Community.

Paraguay

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Government of Paraguay on (a) debt bondage affecting indigenous peoples in the Chaco and (b) the trafficking of human beings and the system known as criadazgo affecting child domestic workers; and whether the Department is supporting projects in Paraguay to tackle these problems. [86342]

Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development is not funding projects nor had discussions with the Government of Paraguay on the problems of debt bondage affecting indigenous people in the Chaco or on the trafficking of human beings.

Pharmaceuticals (Developing Nations)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of the classification of returned
24 July 2006 : Column 1003W
medicines under the Hazardous Waste Regulationson the provision of pharmaceutical treatments to developing countries; and if he will make a statement. [86324]

Hilary Benn: When returned medicines have been sent abroad to developing countries in the past, they have caused a number of problems in receiving countries. This has been because of quality and labelling issues, the medicines were not always the ones wanted, and the cost of sorting and then disposing of the useless products.

The classification of mixed, returned medicines as waste will provide a barrier to the export of unwanted, poor quality and mislabelled drugs and medicines to developing countries. It also encourages the rigorous inspection and sorting of these wastes, so that properly labelled, quality-assured medicines can be separated out and sent to those developing countries that need them.

PR Agencies

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on using public affairs and public relations agencies in each of the last two years; and on what projects in each case. [84820]

Mr. Thomas: In the last two years, the following three projects using public affairs or public relations agencies were commissioned centrally by DFID at a total cost of £223,509.19.

Corporate Communications

    June to September 2004

    Agency: COI

    Total Cost: £16,890.63

    Project: To provide DFID with a corporate communications strategy and three-year plan. COI developed communication objectives, strategies and plans that would help achieve DFID’s organisational objectives.

Asia 2015

    November 2005 to March 2006

    Agency: Weber Shandwick

    Total Cost: £203,918.56

    Project: To support the Asia 2015 conference with media relations in both the UK and throughout key markets in Asia, specifically India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

St. Helena

    April 2006

    Agency: Capricorn Videos

    Total Cost: £2,700

    Project: To record the DFID Public Information and Consultation Week in April 2006 in order to produce a two-hour film for local television.

Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public appointments are within his patronage; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83174]


24 July 2006 : Column 1004W

Hilary Benn: DFID currently has 17 public appointments that are the responsibility of Secretary of State for International Development. This comprises two members of the Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board and 15 members of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. The Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) currently receives £5,000 per annum. An honoraria of £200 is paid to those CSC Board members who participate in selection boards for awarding scholarships. Additionally, CSC Board members receive remuneration for travel expenses. The members of the Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board attract no emoluments.

In the past, the only members of a public body within the patronage of DFID, who received more than expenses, were those appointed to the Board of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC). The CDC transformed from a statutory corporation into a public limited company in December 1999. The last salary information we have for the CDC is for 1999 when the Chair received £30,000, the Deputy £10,000 and Board members (five in total) received £7,500 per annum.

Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department for International Development can be found in Public Bodies, copies of which are in the Library. Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of Public Bodies contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of those bodies sponsored by DFID could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Somalia

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the (a) humanitarian and (b) security situation in Somalia. [87470]

Hilary Benn: We keep the humanitarian situation in Somalia under constant review. There have been a number of assessment visits this year with DFID participation, and I visited the drought-affected area around Wajid myself in May.

The main concern remains the effect of the drought in some areas of the South. The conflict in Mogadishu and beyond between Somali warlords and Islamic Courts, which now threatens to involve others, is also having humanitarian repercussions as people’s lives are disrupted by the fighting. It appears that for the time being, Mogadishu is no longer contested and that people are now able to go about their business more freely. The UN estimates that approximately 1.7 million people require relief assistance in Somalia. The main rains have been better than last year, but still a long way short of the quantities and distribution neededto produce a satisfactory harvest and recovery ofpasture. The UK is currently the second biggestdonor of humanitarian assistance having committed £13.2 million since the onset of the drought. This includes support to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who are providing drought relief
24 July 2006 : Column 1005W
assistance and directly addressing the effects of the previous fighting in Mogadishu where they run hospitals treating the wounded.

The security situation in Somalia is extremely fragile. The past few months have seen heavy fighting in Mogadishu. With the Islamic Courts’ victory over the warlords, the situation in the city appears to have largely stabilised. However, there is a continued threat of conflict between the Transitional Federal Government based in Baidoa and the Islamic Courts which could destabilise the whole country and region, and draw in regional states. We are urging all national and regional parties to show restraint and commit themselves to resolve the situation through dialogue. We strongly support continuation of the Arab League sponsored dialogue between the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Islamic Courts in Khartoum.

The northern parts of Somalia remain relatively stable.

Sudan

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the (a) humanitarian and (b) security situation in the Sudan, broken down by region. [87469]

Hilary Benn: The information is as follows:

Darfur.

The humanitarian situation in Darfur continues to be of concern. The ability of agencies to access and deliver assistance to affected populations has become increasingly difficult because of banditry, inter-SLA factional fighting and attacks on civilians and NGO staff. In North Darfur, the recent fighting between SLA factions has led to an estimated 15-18,000 people displaced, adding to the 250,000 displaced since the start of 2006. While humanitarian indicators (health, mortality, malnutrition etc.) have remained relatively stable in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, the oncoming rainy season and the increasing instability threatens to undermine the progress made.

East.

The issue of access for humanitarian agencies is also a significant problem in the East. The World Food Programme (WFP) has propositioned food stocks in anticipation of both the rains and further access difficulties.

South.

The UN estimate that about 500,000 displaced people returned to the South from within Sudan and neighbouring countries over the last dry season (October-May). The flow of returnees has slowed in recent weeks due to the onset of the rains. Provision of basic services and the establishment of sustainable livelihoods for returnees and others in the South is a major challenge. There has been a predicted seasonal surge in malaria and other disease in the South, but the cholera outbreak has largely been brought under control.

DFID Humanitarian Program.

DFID is providing £67 million this financial year to humanitarian activities in Sudan. In Darfur, we are the second largest bilateral donor with £126 million given
24 July 2006 : Column 1006W
in humanitarian assistance since 2003. A major part of our funding this year (£49 million) is for the Common Humanitarian Fund, a pioneering mechanism allowing the Humanitarian Co-ordinator to fund the highest priorities across Sudan. We also continue to lobby the Government of Sudan on allowing full and unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies throughout Darfur and the rest of Sudan.

Security information is as follows:

Darfur.

The situation remains fragile. Fighting continues between different rebel groups as well as tribal militias, particularly around Sir Maza, Tawilla and Kutum in North Darfur and Greida in South Darfur. Banditry is an ongoing problem, especially in West Darfur.

East.

Some isolated clashes have been reported, but overall the situation is calm at present. The SPLM forces withdrawal from Hamesh Korei has been peaceful. However, there is some tension along the border between Sudan and Eritrea. We hope that the current talks in Asmara will lead to lasting security in the region.

South.

Much of Southern Sudan remains volatile. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has re-established a presence in the far South. Recent tribal clashes in Lakes State reportedly left 60 dead. Lawlessness remains a problem.

Khartoum/North.

The situation is calm at present. We condemn the recent attack on Hamrat ash-Sheikh in North Kordofan, and any attempt to spread violence from Darfur further afield.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to tackle the shortage of water in Darfur. [88112]

Hilary Benn: Water access and management are root causes of the conflict in Darfur DFID’s expenditurefor water and sanitation in Sudan is approximately£17 million per year, which accounts for approximately half of DFID’s total water and sanitation expenditure in Africa. The bulk of these funds are provided as humanitarian support channelled through the Common Humanitarian Fund and NGOs. We are also providing direct support to UNICEF, which is a key donor for the water sector.

Water will be a core issue for the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) signed in early May 2006. A UN/World Bank-led Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) was launched in June to plan the recovery and development process for Darfur. Water will be an important issue that they will consider when formulating their plans, which will be presented to donors at a pledging conference in October. The UK has provided technical experts for the JAM and £360,000 for its administration costs. The JAM’s conclusions will shape our future support for Darfur. We stand ready to be a major partner in its recovery and development.
24 July 2006 : Column 1007W

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will assess the outcome of the Brussels Conference on Darfur; and what additional resources have been pledged. [88113]

Hilary Benn: The EU estimates that at least$186 million was pledged to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) at a Donors' Conference in Brussels on 18 July, though they are still finalising the total figure. This is a very creditable result. The UK re-affirmed its pledge of 20 million for AMIS for this financial year. We stand ready to go on pressing others to contribute more should it prove necessary.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) helicopters and (b) armoured vehicles have been lent to the African Union Mission in Sudan. [88114]

Hilary Benn: The Canadian Government have supplied 105 armoured personnel carriers and 25 helicopters, providing 1,200 helicopter flying hrs per month to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Canada has recently announced it would also contribute a further 200 helicopter flying hours per month. We are not aware that any other helicopters or armoured vehicles have been lent to AMIS.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what strategies have been put in place to protect women from violence in Darfur, with particular reference to those residing in camps. [88115]

Hilary Benn: The African Union mission in Darfur (AMIS) co-ordinates firewood patrols to provide
24 July 2006 : Column 1008W
protection for women when they leave camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Where this is happening the number of reported rapes has decreased significantly, and we are encouraging the African Union (AU) to promote this practice. AMIS also has civilian police presence in many IDP camps and we are urging AMIS within its resources to prioritise the civilian protection elements of its mandate.

We have made, and continue to make clear, to the Government of Sudan that more must be done to provide security for the citizens of Darfur, and that perpetrators of such crimes must be brought to justice. In late December 2005, the UK participated in a mission to assess human rights in West Darfur consisting of representatives of the Government of Sudan, the UN and international community. The mission paid specific attention to gender based violence, and produced a number of recommendations. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to implement these recommendations as a matter of urgency. Transfer to a UN mission in Darfur, which the UK supports, would also help deal with the problems.

Technical Assistance

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what funding his Department (a) has allocated in each of the last three financial years and (b) plans to allocate in each of the next three financial years to technical assistance. [84138]

Hilary Benn: Technical assistance is the provision of know-how in the form of personnel, training, research and associated costs.

Expenditure on technical assistance for last three years is as follows:
£000
Category of Technical Assistance (TA) 2002-03 As percentage of total TA 2003-04 As percentage of total TA 2004-05 As percentage of total TA

Consultancies

221,984

40

215,321

45

218,871

46

Training and Scholarships

29,400

5

23,123

5

24,355

5

Knowledge and Research

217,059

39

185,283

38

169,162

36

Other

89,540

16

58,321

12

62,887

13

Total Technical Assistance

557,983

482,048

475,275


The final statistics for 2005-06 will be published in “Statistics on International Development 2006” in October 2006.

Future plans for DFID spending are set out in Annex 1, Table 4 of DFID’s latest Departmental Report, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. We do not set planning figures for Technical Assistance.

Treaty of Amsterdam

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the deliberations of the Treaty of Amsterdam Article 133 Committee since 1997. [79788]

Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.

There are no formal minutes of the meetings of the Article 133 Committee. However the Secretariat of the Council of the European Union produces “outcomes of proceedings” from Article 133 Committee meetings and these are accessible in accordance with Council Regulation 1049/2001 (Regulation of the European Parliament and Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents) through the Council’s website at http://ue.eu.int.

UN Central Emergency Response Fund

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding has been pledged to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund for 2007 by (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) G8 countries. [87467]


24 July 2006 : Column 1009W

Hilary Benn: The UK has disbursed £40 millionto the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for year 2006. The UK has pledged a further £40 million per annum for the next three years (ie in total the UK will provide £160 million over four years).

The European Commission has made no commitments to the CERF. A number of European Union member states have made commitments for 2006. They are: UK £40 million/$70 million,Sweden $41 million, Netherlands $24 million, Ireland $12 million, Spain $10 million, Denmark $8.5 million, Finland $4.7 million, Luxembourg $4 million, France $1.2 million, Belgium $1.2 million, Portugal $254,000, Poland $250,000, Greece $100,000, Estonia $24,000, and Slovenia $10,000. The UK is the only EU member state to have announced commitments beyond the current year.

Five G8 countries have made commitments tothe CERF. For this year the commitments are: UK£40 million/$70 million, Canada $17 million, Japan $7.5 million, France $1.2 million. The US has committed $5 million for fiscal year 2006 and$5 million for fiscal year 2007. The UK is the only other G8 country to have announced commitments beyond the current year.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on their (a) current and (b) planned contributions to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund. [87468]

Hilary Benn: During the development of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), my officials andI had discussions with various G8 countries at bilateral and international meetings and by telephone. Five G8 members—UK, Canada, US, Japan and France have committed funds to the CERF and I continue to encourage other countries to contribute.

At the launch of DFID’s Humanitarian Policy atthe British Red Cross Headquarters on 7 June, I announced future UK funding commitments to the CERF. On top of the £40 million provided this year, I have pledged a further £40 million per annum for the next three years (i.e. in total the UK will provide£160 million over four years). I hope this will encourage others to commit future funding, and I will raise this issue with other G8 countries at appropriate opportunities.

Water

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on (a) the provision of piped water connections to provide water to the urban poor and (b) other forms of water provision; and if he will make a statement. [85801]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 July 2006]: DFID helps developing country governments to implement their own plans for provision of water and sanitation, which include both piped and public or communal provision to safe water, as appropriate. DFID provides direct financing and technical know-how. We also support the international system, particularly the UN
24 July 2006 : Column 1010W
to gather data on access to safe water and basic sanitation. In most countries, access to water and sanitation is better in urban areas than it is in rural. Access to water may be through house connections or through public connections close to the home.

The urban population in Africa will increase from 300 million to 500 million between 2000 and 2015 and in Asia from 1.35 billion to 2 billion. This rapid growth in urban populations will pose severe problems to our partner governments including that of increasing access to water and sanitation. DFID has urban water and sanitation projects in Ghana, Nigeria, India and Bangladesh and our International Division supports the Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor to deliver sustainable water and sanitation to low-income urban and peri-urban communities. DFID is committed to doubling spending on water in Africa to £95 million by 2008 and a further doubling to £200 million by 2011. We are now actively involved in seven African countries (Ethiopia, the DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia), up from only two years ago; and through our funding of other agencies’ programmes, we reach many other countries. For example the EU plans to provide 10 million people with access to water and a further 5 million to sanitation by 2010 through projects it has recently approved through the Water Facility.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on assistance on water provision in cities in the developing world since 1997. [85803]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 July 2006]: DFID commissioned an independent report on its expenditure on water and sanitation in the developing world. This report, “Financial Support to the Water Sector”, was produced by Atkins Consultants and is publicly available at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/water-sector-finance.pdf. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, in response to previous related parliamentary questions.

The report presents a breakdown of expenditure by region, country and theme. In 2001-02, the first year for which an urban/rural breakdown is available,£35.8 million of DFID’s bilateral water expenditure was spent on ‘Urban water supply and sanitation’. In subsequent years there was a shift to rural activities. Bilateral urban water and sanitation expenditurewas £29 million in 2003-04. A proportion of DFID’s contributions to multilateral, civil society organisations and Poverty Reduction Budget Support will also be spent on water provision in developing world cities, but it is not possible to break this expenditure down by theme.

An update of the report, with details of expenditure for 2004-05 and 2005-06 will be published in autumn 2006.

Women's Rights

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes are funded by his Department on (a) women’s rights, (b) equality issues and (c) domestic violence prevention in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan. [86481]


24 July 2006 : Column 1011W

Hilary Benn: DFID currently has two programmes supporting civil society in Iraq in promoting women’s rights and equality issues, among other aspects.

Our £5 million Civil Society Fund supports international (mainly UK) Non Governmental Organisations to work with Iraqi counterparts. As part of this we are working with Women for Women International in Iraq to build women’s leadership capacity, awareness of rights and the capacity to transfer knowledge and skills to the community more broadly. The Civil Society Fund also provides funding for the Women’s National Commission’s Internship project, which is working with women to engage with the Iraqi Government, by contributing to better and more inclusive, policies affecting women.

Our £7.5 million Political Participation Fund works directly with a range of Iraqi civil society organisations to help them engage in the political process and has supported a number of Iraqi women’s groups in improving the political awareness and participation of women in Iraq’s constitutional processes, including its recent elections.

We have not funded specific projects in Iraq on domestic violence prevention.

Afghanistan

DFID supports the role of women in all aspects of Afghan society. The strategy we are working towards is the Interim Afghan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS).

The I-ANDS recognises gender as a key cross cutting theme. Development of the full ANDS will ensure that these important issues are adequately addressed across the board. DFID are also funding the Government’s National Programmes which include support to enhancing the role of women at community level. For example, the National Solidarity Programme ensures that women are engaged in determining community development priorities through the formation of Community Development Councils. We also support the Micro-finance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA), currently working in 18 provinces and plans to be active in all 34 by end of 2007. 80 per cent. of MISFA’s beneficiaries are women.

DFID supports equal rights for all the citizens of Afghanistan. At the national level we provided support to the drafting of the new constitution, which has successfully protected the rights of women and minority ethnic groups before the law. DFID provided significant funding for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections which have been a milestone for Afghanistan. A wide choice of candidates existed from a variety of ethnic, social and political backgrounds. A high number of women also registered as candidates and participated as voters (43 per cent. of voters were women).

DFID has not funded specific projects that target domestic violence in Afghanistan. However the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), through the Global Opportunities Fund is sponsoring a number of projects specifically designed to increase women’s access to justice, improve their living standards, promote women’s equal participation in governance, create a professional network of women’s rights organisations and promote access to information through the radio.


24 July 2006 : Column 1012W

Trade and Industry

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87055]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Expenditure on advertising by the Department procured through Central Office of Information (COI) for 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, was £9.4 million, £6.1 million, £1l.5 million, £4.1 million. Figures exclude VAT. The following table contains details. The Department does not hold information on other campaigns centrally, including those by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and to do so would entail disproportionate cost. In addition to provide information against each entry on the intended audience and purpose of the campaign, would again entail disproportionate costs.


24 July 2006 : Column 1013W
£

2000-01

DTI Miscellaneous

4,606

National Minimum Wage

595,994

Import Licence Announcements

45,517

Export Licence Announcements

15,992

Small Business Services

85,647

Distance Selling

16,366

Minimum Wage Autumn 2000

2,932,365

Miners Compensation Ad

134,674

UK Online for Business 2000-01

1,588,626

Smart Awards 2000-01

138,266

Paid Annual Leave

2,751,032

Carbon Monoxide

37,520

Small Business Service—Business Link

1,082,657

Total

9,429,262

2001-02

Export Licence Announcement

10,547

Import Licence Announcement

55,632

Business Link Foot and Mouth

202,731

SBS—Business Link

1,511,010

Quality Mark Scheme

626,426

National Minimum Wage

310,330

UK Online for Business

1,601,668

E Business Week

114,194

UK Online for Business—Supplement

387,645

DTI Consumer Gateway

65,717

Slips, Trips and Broken Hips

249,164

DTI Miscellaneous

137,416

Business Link

598,970

Quality Mark Scheme

249,645

Total

6,121,095

2002-03

UK Online for Business 2002-03

3,393,124

Export Licence Announcements 2002-03

10,131

Import Licence Announcements 2002-03

88,685

DTI Miscellaneous 2002-03

337,859

UK Online for Business—Supplement 2002-03

153,384

SBS Business Link

5,395,254

Fireworks Campaign 2002-03

181,966

National Minimum Wage 2002-03

299,443

SBS Recruitment Advertising

14,537

Parental Rights 2002-03

718,718

DTI Consumer Gateway 2002-03

74,887

Quality Mark 2002-03

779,817

Ex-Miners Compensation 2002-03

85,559

Total

11,533,364

2003-04

Parental Rights 2003-04

1,106,186

Import Licence Announcements 2003-04

130,470

Ex Miner Compensation 2003-04

384,875

SBS Public Notice Advertising 2003-04

84,778

SBS Business Link 2003-04

882,188

DTI National Minimum Wage 2003-04

306,360

Quality Mark Scheme 2003-04

189,973

DTI EERA 13 2003-04

422,177

DTI UK Online for Business 2003-04

163,965

DTI Fireworks SMS Internet 2003-04

18,603

DTI UK Online for Business Internet 2003-04

230,914

DTI Consumer Gateway Internet 2003-04

37,686

UK Trade and Investment 2003-04

194,784

SBS Keyword 2003-04

20,799

Total

4,173,758


Air Conditioning

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and which buildings occupied by his Department have air conditioning installed; what plans he has to install further air conditioning in his Department's buildings; and if he will make a statement. [87107]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Of the 15 buildings currently occupied by the Department (either leased commercially or as a tenant of another government body), the following have centralised cooling or air conditioning systems: 1 Victoria Street, London SW1; 151 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1; Kingsgate House, London SW1; Amberley House, Gloucester; Tay House, Glasgow.

The Department has no plan to install further air conditioning systems. 1 Victoria Street, the DTI’s main building, was designed as an energy efficient building with triple glazing, motorised blinds to limit solar gain and a passive chilled ceiling cooling system.

Airbus Consortium

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in states in the Airbus consortium; and if he will make a statement. [86723]

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, met his counterparts at a meeting at the Farnborough Air Show on 17 July. A copy of the communiqué issued at that meeting is as follows:


24 July 2006 : Column 1014W

Airbus Ministerial Meeting at Farnborough International Air Show 2006, Monday 17 July

    Communiqué text:

    The Ministers of France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom responsible for the civil aerospace industry held their regular meeting at the Farnborough International Air Show on Monday 17 July 2006.

    The meeting was chaired by Alistair DARLING MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Also presentwere Dominique PERBEN, French Minister for Transport, Equipment, Tourism and the Sea; Georg Wilhelm ADAMOWITSCH, German State Secretary for Economics; Jose MONTILLA, Spanish Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade; and Margaret HODGE MP, British Minister for Industry and the Regions. The industry was represented by Christian STREIFF, and the representatives of the Airbus shareholder committee, Thomas ENDERS, Louis GALLOIS and Francisco FERNANDEZ SAINZ for EADS and Mike TURNER for BAE Systems Plc. The Ministers offered their best wishes to the new management team of Airbus and EADS.

    Airbus made a presentation on the status of the A380 including an explanation of the industrial issues that have led to some delay in the delivery schedule for the aircraft and the steps Airbus is taking to remedy the situation. Ministers noted this presentation and expressed their confidence in the ability of Airbus management to address these industrial issues and in the commercial success of the A380 programme.

    The Ministers welcomed Airbus' response to the market and its intention to launch an all-new family of widebody aircraft. The Ministers confirmed their commitment to support the European aerospace industry. They reaffirmed their agreement to support Airbus to continue to innovate and to develop programmes in the context of international competition.

    The Ministers once again expressed their desire for a negotiated solution to the current WTO dispute, but stressed the need for a balanced outcome regarding support for both current and future programmes so as to ensure a level playing field.

Animal Welfare

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in implementing the proposals put forward by the Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals with respect to the trading of cat and dog fur and derived products. [88208]

Mr. McCartney: Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Kyprianou stated at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 20 February that the European Commission was planning to publish a proposal on the import of cat and dog fur within the next few months. We are currently awaiting that proposal.

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of how much cat and dog fur has been imported into Britain in the last 12 months. [88212]

Mr. McCartney: No evidence of significant imports has been brought to my attention. The UK has requested that a separate tariff code be introduced by the EU so that the level of such imports can be accurately assessed.


24 July 2006 : Column 1015W

Area Assistance

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his Department's paper of10 July 2006 on the Review of UK Assisted Areas Stage 2—The Government's response and draft assisted areas map, what average (a) level of manufacturing share of employment, (b) claimant rate of incapacity benefit, (c) employment rate and (d) level of adult skills at level 2 and above in (i) Great Britain, (ii) each ward of Scottish Borders council area, (iii) each ward of Dumfries and Galloway council area and (iv) each ward of Berwick borough council area were used to assess future eligibility for assistance; and what the (A) half a standard deviation and (B) full standard deviation (1) above and (2) below the Great Britain average are. [87356]

Margaret Hodge: The data for Great Britain, including wards in the Scottish Border council, Dumfries and Galloway council and Berwick borough council areas are available from the sources specified. The description gives a full definition of the data used in prioritising assisted area coverage in the Draft Map, including the thresholds related to the Great Britain average and standard deviation. The Department will place this information on its website, at

    http://www.dti.gov.uk/regional/assisted-areas/assisted-areas-review/page24618.html.

Data have been built up from ward level, using census area statistics wards (2003 CAS wards). Where possible, averages of the three most recent years’ data have been used.

Employment rate

Ward level data from 2001 census have been used—working age population in employment (ILO definition) divided by total working age population (Source: NOMIS).

To construct more recent estimates, numeratorshave been factored by local authority estimates of employment rate, using four-quarterly averages from the labour force survey (Source: NOMIS). The base year is taken as March 2001 to February 2002. A three-year average has been taken of these derived estimates, using the years March 2002 to February 2003, March 2003 to February 2004 and March 2004 to February 2005.

The Great Britain average on this basis was 69.2 per cent. with a standard deviation of 6.4 per cent. Therefore the thresholds for eligibility of a zone were:

    half a standard deviation: employment rate less than 66.0 per cent.

    one standard deviation: employment rate less than 62.8 per cent.

Adult skills at level 2 or above

Ward level data from 2001 census have been used—working age population with NVQ Level 2 qualification (or equivalent) or higher, divided by total working age population (Source: NOMIS).

To construct more recent estimates, numerators have been factored by local authority estimates of working age Level 2+ skills rate, using the local area labour force survey (Source: NOMIS). The base year is taken as March 2001—February 2002. A three-year average has been taken of these derived estimates, using the
24 July 2006 : Column 1016W
years March 2001 to February 2002, March 2002 to February 2003 and March 2003 to February 2004.

The Great Britain average on this basis was 52.2 per cent. with a standard deviation of 7.5 per cent. Therefore the thresholds for eligibility of a zone were:

    half a standard deviation: Level 2+ skills rate less than48.5 per cent.

    one standard deviation: Level 2+ skills rate less than 44.8 per cent

Incapacity Benefit claimants

Administrative data are available at ward level from the Department of Work and Pensions. The series used includes both incapacity benefit claimants and severe disablement allowance claimants. The claimant count denominator has been used (Source: NOMIS).

A three-year average has been taken, using data from November 2003, November 2004 and November 2005.

The Great Britain average on this basis was 7.9 per cent. with a standard deviation of 3.4 per cent. Therefore the thresholds for eligibility of a zone were:

    half a standard deviation: IB claimant rate greater than9.7 per cent.

    one standard deviation: IB claimant rate greater than 11.4 per cent.

Manufacturing share of employment

Data are taken from the Annual Business Inquiry employee analysis (Source: NOMIS). Rates are constructed as employment in Manufacturing (Standard Industrial Classification code D) divided by employment in all industrial sectors.

Only two years’ data are available for 2003 CAS wards. Therefore a two-year average has been taken, using data from 2003 and 2004.

The Great Britain average on this basis was 12.3 per cent. with a standard deviation of 5.9 per cent. Therefore the thresholds for eligibility of a zone were:

    half a standard deviation: manufacturing share of employment greater than 15.3 per cent.

    one standard deviation: manufacturing share of employment greater than18.2 per cent.

    Sources:

    All data used are publicly available. Data can be obtained through the following websites:

    NOMIS

    http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

    Department of Work and Pensions

    http://www.dwp. gov.uk/asd/tabtool. asp

    General Register Office for Scotland (for Scottish Census data)

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm/index .html

Bank and Shop Closures

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of post offices, bank branches and independent retail shops in Nottingham Southand in the East Midlands on the (a) frequency, (b) distance and (c) mode of transport of journeys by customers; and what assessment he has made ofthe impact of such closures on the level of (i) environmental emissions and (ii) traffic congestion. [79225]


24 July 2006 : Column 1017W

Margaret Hodge: All local transport authorities are required to develop plans, termed Accessibility Strategies, to ensure that citizens have ease of access to facilities and amenities in their area. These are part of the Local Transport Plan process and Accessibility Strategies were submitted to Department for Transport as part of the second round of Local Transport Plans in March 2006.

Department for Transport issued guidance tolocal transport authorities in December 2004 that highlighted food and essential services such as supermarkets, post offices and banks as being destinations that local transport authorities should consider as part of the process. Authorities were asked to prioritise the analysis of, and actions to promote, accessibility to these local services alongside other destinations such as access to employment. Accessibility Strategies contain a forward programme of analysis and action based on this prioritisation process.

The South Nottinghamshire area is covered by the Greater Nottingham Local Transport Plan, which is jointly developed by Nottingham city council and Nottinghamshire county council. In the development of the associated Accessibility Strategy, a workshop was held in 2005 relating to access to food and essential services and included discussion of closures, cost of travel, relative infrequency of public transport in rural areas, and availability of information on transport types. The Post Office consumer group, Postwatch, were also consulted as part of this work.

Department for Transport expects local transport authorities to develop detailed Local Accessibility Action Plans for each year of the plan period to 2010-11, based on the priorities identified through the themed workshops and discussions with partners.

Bankruptcy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have declared themselves bankrupt in each London borough since 1997. [87779]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table records the numbers of individual bankruptcy orders in the London Region classified according to Official Receivers’ offices from 1997-98 to 2005-06.

Figures are not separately available for each London borough.


24 July 2006 : Column 1018W
Bankruptcies recorded in London Region 1997-98 to 2005-06( 1, 2)
Number

1997-98

1,444

1998-99

1,380

1999-2000

1,290

2000-01

1,298

2001-02

1,421

2002-03

1,562

2003-04

2,132

2004-05

(3)4,910

2005-06

(4)6,699

(1 )Croydon Official Receiver’s Office is classified under London Region for 2004-05 and 2005-06 only, when it accounted for 1,678 and 2,446 bankruptcies respectively.
(2) The latest two years figures also include Public Interest Unit (PIU) and Carousel, which together amount to 18 bankruptcies in 2004-05 and 18 in 2005-06.
(3 )3,232 excl Croydon)
(4) 4,253 excl Croydon)

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who went bankrupt in England in each of the last five years. [88737]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The closest available estimate for bankruptcies amongst self-employed farmers is that for bankruptcies falling under the category “agriculture” according to the Insolvency Trade Classification and these can be found in the following table:

Bankruptcies in England and Wales for Agriculture, 2001 to 2005
Bankruptcy orders

2001

183

2002

132

2003

151

2004

204

2005

195


BCCI

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many members of staff in the Insolvency Service are involved in dealing with the BCCI case; and what costs the Insolvency Service has incurred to date in relation to the case. [87168]

Jim Fitzpatrick: No individual member of staff of the Insolvency Service is continuously involved in work related to the liquidation of BCCI but staff are deployed as and when required in dealing with inquiries, correspondence and receiving reports from and discussing issues with the liquidators. The cost of the involvement of Insolvency Service staff in work related to BCCI since 1991 could only be calculated as disproportionate cost.

Better Regulation

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for powers for the proposed Local Better Regulation Office to inspect local authorities’ environmental health and trading standards departments. [85732]

Mr. McCartney: The Local Better Regulation Office will have a role overseeing and co-ordinating the work of trading standards and environmental health. The Local Better Regulation Office will work in partnership with local authorities and will not micro manage environmental health and trading standards departments. Its roles will include delivering a coordinated set of national priorities across trading standards and environmental health services; driving up performance standards within the wider local government performance framework; gathering evidence and responding to the concerns of business and local authorities about inconsistencies in the enforcement of regulation; driving best practice to
24 July 2006 : Column 1019W
reduce unnecessary burdens and establishing common frameworks where they add value. The Government will make an announcement on the powers LBRO will have later this year.

Broadband

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government’s definition of broadband was last changed; what criteria were applied to the decision; and if he will make a statement. [86135]

Margaret Hodge: We use the Office of Telecommunications’ (Ofcom) definition, published in their report “Review of the Wholesale Broadband Access Markets” of May 2004 as “higher bandwidth, always-on service, offering data rates of 128kbps and above”. This definition is used to measure take-up of the dynamic range of services available to residential and business consumers that are classed by the industry as broadband and to make comparisons with other European countries.

DTI focuses on the uses for broadband, encourages take-up of services and the applications it provides. To that end, we are working with industry and other interested parties through the Broadband Stakeholders Group to assist and advise us in supporting end users needs in a converged digital world. On 1 April 2005 we launched ‘Connecting the UK: the Digital Strategy’. The strategy outlines the policy focus towards stimulating effective take-up and use of ICT. The strategy aims to address the digital divide that currently sees some groups excluded from the benefits to be gained from the internet.

The UK has over 10 million broadband subscribers and there are over a quarter of a million new subscribers each month. Broadband prices are falling and speeds are increasing. As new technologies emerge, consumer choice increases, making broadband a more accessible and popular option. Broadband is available to 99.8 per cent. of households. I also understand that it is likely that the target set by the Telecommunications Adjudicator, for 1.5 million lines to be unbundled from the local loop network by April 2007, will be met by the end of 2006.

Business Review

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 851W, on the Business Review, by what criteria companies are expected to assess whether a contractual or supplier relationship is necessary to understand the development, performance or position of their business when deciding what to include in the Business Review under Clause 399 of the Company Law Reform Bill; and whether guidance will be issued on this matter. [87233]

Margaret Hodge: It is for the directors to judge whether and what information about a contractual or supplier relationship is necessary to provide a balanced and comprehensive analysis of the development, performance and position of the company's business consistent with the size and complexity of the business. The Accounting Standards Board will review its best
24 July 2006 : Column 1020W
practice guidance to ensure that it remains up todate in light of the outcome of the parliamentary consideration of the Bill. It is for shareholders to hold the directors to account.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the statement by the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions to Standing Committee D on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 703, on clause 399 of the Company Law Reform Bill, by what criteria he expects companies to assess whether a contractual or other relationship is essential to the business and therefore required to be included in the Business Review by subsection (4) of clause 399. [87234]

Margaret Hodge: Subsection (4) of clause 399 of the Company Law Reform Bill requires the directors’ Business Review to be a balanced and comprehensive analysis of the development, performance and position of the company’s business consistent with the sizeand complexity of the business. It is for the directorsto judge whether and what information about a contractual or supplier relationship is necessary to be included in the review and for the shareholders to hold the directors accountable for the information provided in their review.

Business Start-ups (South-East London)

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to promote (a) investment in industry and (b) business start-ups in South East London. [87764]

Margaret Hodge: Responsibility for the promotion of investment in industry and business start-ups in South East London (Bexley, Lewisham and Greenwich) rests primarily with partner organisations managed by the London Development Agency (LDA).

Inward investment promotion and business retention activities are delivered through the agencies of Think London and Gateway to London. Support for business start ups is delivered via the Business Link Information, Diagnosis and Brokerage Service and London’s Enterprise Agencies.

The LDA has developed a number of programmes and grant schemes specifically designed to assist business start-ups and investment in industry with delivery undertaken by local delivery organisations in South East London. The LDA has also invested in South East London as a location for business by promoting developments including Woolwich Arsenal, Thamesmead and Belvedere/Erith.

The Government office for London and the LDA are working with all local authorities and other public funded bodies across the capital in the development of local area agreements (LAAs). An element of the agreements is specifically aimed at encouraging strategic economic development and enterprise growth, drawing together a wide range of existing funding streams and appropriate measures and resources.


24 July 2006 : Column 1021W

Citizens Advice Bureau

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the contribution to the Citizens Advice Bureaux from (a) local authorities and (b) central government in each of the last five years. [88131]

Mr. McCartney: Nearly 600 Citizens Advice Bureaux operate independently as a number of separate charities each covering one, or more, operating location(s). Records are not kept centrally of their funding levels and sources.

Details of funding received by the headquarters bodies (Citizens Advice, and Citizens Advice Scotland) are to be found in their annual reports in the Libraries of the House.

Clean Coal

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will fund a clean coal integrated carbon capture demonstration project; and if he will make a statement. [87436]

Malcolm Wicks: The newly published Energy Review Report makes clear that the Government will formally launch a £10 million call during September 2006 as part of its Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy. This call will focus on pre-commercial demonstration of key components and systems to support Carbon Abatement Technologies and will include Clean Coal and Carbon Capture and Storage technologies.

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it his policy to include clean coal production in his future energy plans. [87927]

Malcolm Wicks: The Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy sets out the Government's role in supporting the development of low carbon technologies for fossil fuel power generation. These low carbon technologies include clean coal among others.

Company Reports

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans there are to require inclusion of information on social and environmental impact in reports for directors of public companies. [75794]

Mr. McCartney: Under the Company Law Reform Bill, all companies, apart from small companies, will continue to be required to produce a Business Review, in accordance with the EU Accounts Modernisation Directive. Quoted companies, to the extent necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of their business, will need to include the main trends and factors likely to affect the company’s business in the future and information about environmental matters (including the impact of the company’s business on the environment), the company’s employees and social and community issues. The review must include information about any policies of the company in relation to those matters and the effectiveness of those policies. All business
24 July 2006 : Column 1022W
reviews must be consistent with the size and complexity of each company’s business and, to the extent necessary for an understanding of the company’s business, include where appropriate analysis using key performance indicators relating to environmental matters and employee matters.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with (a) the Treasury and (b) the Cabinet Office regarding the pre-comprehensive spending review report; and if he will make a statement. [82842]

Mr. Darling: Ministers and officials have many discussions covering a wide range of issues including on spending.

Consultants

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on consultants by his Department in each year since 1997. [73170]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 23 May 2006]: Central records indicate that the cost to the Department of engaging consultants in each of the following financial years has been:

£ million

1999-2000

21

2000-01

36

2001-02

64

2002-03

93

2003-04

112

2004-05

86

2005-06

53.6


Information for years prior to 1999-2000 is notheld centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the companies which were paid consultancy fees by his Department in 2005-06; how much each was paid; and what each of the companies was used to accomplish. [69690]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Central records indicate that the Department spent £53.6 million on consultancy services in financial year 2005-06.

I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of companies that submitted invoices to the Department for consultancy services in the financial year 2005-06.

Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last year for which figures are available; and what the cost was (a) in total and (b) of each consultation. [72901]


24 July 2006 : Column 1023W

Jim Fitzpatrick: The total number of formal written consultations for the year to May 2006 is 88. Consultation exercises currently being run by the Department of Trade and Industry are published on the Department of Trade and Industry website http:www//dit.gov.uk.

Costs are recorded centrally for all publications, by DTI’s Publications Team. Costs for consultations only cannot be extracted without disproportionate cost.

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies which report to him. [56543]

Jim Fitzpatrick: A number of “08” telephones services are administered by the Department for public use. From central records the information that can be provided on the Department's use of 0800, 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers is as follows:

Number Department/Agency

(a) 0800

028 2138

Coal Health Claims Helpline

373 317

Construction Market Intelligence

585 794

Envirowise

(b) 0845

001 0030

BS BLU line

001 0031

SBS Helpline

001 0032

SBS Small Firms Loan Guarantee

015 0010

DTI Publication Orderline

015 0020

DTI Publication Orderline (Fax)

015 0030

DTI Publication Orderline (Minicom)

019 0001

Personnel Training Services Consortium

404 0506

Consumer Direct

600 0678

National Minimum Wage

600 9006

Business Link Helpline

955 5105

Employment Agency Standards

(c) 0870

191 0111

Biotech Support

191 0112

Information Society Support

191 0113

NMP Helpline

191 0114

IST in Manufacturing

191 0115

SME Helpline

191 0116

Beta Technology (Research and Innovation Support)

240 5927

FP6UK Helpline (Textphone)

240 5929

FP6UK Helpline (Fax)

600 6080

FP6UK Helpline

606 1515

National IST Programme Helpline

150 2100

DTI Publication Orderline(1)

150 2300

DTI Publication Orderline(1)

150 2333

DTI Publication Orderline(1)

150 2500

DTI Publication Orderline(1)

(1 )Currently discontinued and awaiting reallocation.


24 July 2006 : Column 1024W

Letter from Jeanne Spinks, dated 24 July 2006:

    You asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies which report to him.

    The Employment Tribunals Services administers a public enquiry line to answer queries about the Employment Tribunals, provide information about tribunal publications and explain how the tribunal system works. The enquiry line number is 0845 795 9775, and the minicom number is 0845 757 3722.

Letter from Desmond Flynn, dated 24 July 2006:

    The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2005/3597) asking what a.) 0800, b) 0845 and c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public The Service administers.

    As at 6 March 2006 the answers were as follows:

    a.) 0800:

    The Service does not have any 0800 numbers.

    b.) 0845:

    The Service currently administers the following 0845 numbers:

    1. Redundancy Payments Helpline - 0845 145 0004.

    2. Enforcement hotline - 0845 601 3546.

    3. Online form service enquiry line - 0845 602 9848.

    In addition to the above numbers our website is also available via voice access on a 0845 number - 0845 333 0323.

    c.) 0870:

    The Service does not have any 0870 numbers.

Letter from Dr. Jeff Llewellyn, dated 24 July 2006:

    The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question regarding listing (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies which report to him.

    NWML does not administer any 0800, 0845 or 0870 numbers.

Letter from Tim Moss, dated 24 July 2006:

    I am replying to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question 2005/3597, to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on behalf of Companies House, which is an Executive Agency of the DTI.

    Question

    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies with report to him. 56543.

    Answer

    Companies House operate the following Non-Geographical Numbers (NGN’s)

    CHD Helpdesk — 0845 7573991

    Contact Centre — 0870 3333636

    Secure Directors Register — 0845 03032400.

    Officially, the SDR number and function is hosted by CH on behalf of the DTI and due to the security considerations involved is not for public consumption.

Letter from Ron Marchant, dated 24 July 2006:

    I am responding to this parliamentary question, tabled on 02 March 2006. The telephone numbers for the public administered by the Patent Office are as follows:

    Telephone; 0845 9 500 505

    Minicom (text phone); 0845 9 222 250


24 July 2006 : Column 1025W

Disabled People

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department’s progress in fulfilling its statutory obligation as a public body of promoting the rights of disabled people. [66010]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 placed new duties on public authorities to promote equality for disabled people, ‘the Disability Equality Duty’.

The Department of Trade and Industry is currently planning a Disability Equality Scheme to be implemented by December 2006, and considering the scope of activities to be included in the progress report to be published by 1 December 2008.

The Department promotes equality for disabled people through employment legislation and the promotion and publication of relevant information and guidance.

Doorstep Lending

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the net outflow in interest payments to doorstep lenders in each local authority area in the UK. [86984]

Mr. McCartney: Information of this kind on individual credit agreements is not currently collected.

However, according to the provisional findings of the Competition Commission’s Home Credit Market Inquiry, home credit lenders collected around£1.9 billion in repayments from their customers in 2004.

Electricity Transmission

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that power producers reduce carbon dioxide emissions attributable to electricity transmission and distribution losses; and if he will make a statement. [87671]

Malcolm Wicks: Power producers are strongly incentivised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from all aspects of electricity production through the European Emissions Trading Scheme, which incentivises all installations it covers to reduce emissions in response to a carbon price. It is up to each installation to determine what measures it may take to reduce its emissions, which may include those attributable to transmission and distribution losses.

In addition, power producers are specifically incentivised to reduce transmission and distribution losses through the requirement on all power producers using the transmission system pay on a cost reflective basis. This aims to reflect the costs generators impose on the network to transfer electricity to where it is required. With 2 per cent. of electricity conveyed over the transmission network lost, through noise and heat, there is an environmental as well as economic case for having generation near to the main centres of electricity demand and the transmission charging system reflects this.


24 July 2006 : Column 1026W

About 6 per cent. of electricity conveyed over the distribution network is lost. Distribution Network Operators, as part of their regulated price controls, are incentivised to reduce these losses.

Energy Review

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to paragraphs 5.104 and 5.105 of the Energy Review, Cm 6887, what the reasons were for the choice of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency study to illustrate the comparative carbon footprint ranking of nuclear generation against other power generation sources; and which other analyses were examined on the comparative carbon footprint of different generation sources in the Energy Review. [86095]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 19 July 2006]: The Energy Review considered various studies on lifetime carbon emissions, including:

    Sustainable Development Commission—The Role of Nuclear in a Low Carbon Economy—Paper 2 Reducing CO2 Emissions—Nuclear and the Alternatives (2006)

    Japan Central Research Institute (1996)

    Sweden, Vattenfall (1999 and 2000)

    Finland, A Kivisto

    Germany, Institute for Applied Ecology (1997)

    Storm van Leeuven and Smith (SLS) (2001 to 2005)

    Torness—a study for BE by AEA Technology (2005)

    EC ExternE (2003)

OECD estimates broadly reflect the range of nuclear lifecycle emissions estimates from this literature.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment was made of the potential vulnerability of existing licensed nuclear sites to (a) coastal erosion and (b) inundation in the energy review. [86926]

Malcolm Wicks: Any new nuclear power stations would be proposed, developed, constructed and operated by the private sector. Industry has indicated that the most viable sites are likely to be adjacent to existing sites. Any developers will need to manage the possible risks of coastal erosion and flooding through active flood management plans, which must be approved by the safety regulator. Government committed in the energy review report to undertake a strategic siting assessment that would assist developers in identifying the most suitable sites for nuclear power stations.

Enterprise

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to increase enterprise in the West Suffolk constituency since 1997. [85501]

Margaret Hodge: Through the Government office for the East of England and the East of England development agency (BEDA) the Department has made considerable progress in increasing enterprise across the region.


24 July 2006 : Column 1027W

The main initiatives have been through Business Link, ‘SMART’ Grants for research and development and community investment.

The funding to support Business Link branded activities from 1 April 1997 through to 31 March 2006 has been derived from DTI, SBS, EEDA, DFES, DEFRA, the European Social Fund, European Structural Funds and from local authorities.

The spending profile for the whole of Suffolk has risen from £1.658 million in 1997-98 to £4.948 million in 2004-05 with a total of £28.866 million spent across the whole of Suffolk since 1997 and circa £14 million in the west of the county.

Delivery under the brand by Business Link and its partners has primarily consisted of the provision of information, advice, assisted consultancy, grants etc. and comprises a whole series of activities related to the start-up and the development of small medium enterprises.

A total of £400,000 of funding has been raised for West Suffolk companies since 1997.

There has also been Community investment of circa £2.3 million since 1997 which includes:

    Sudbury Community Energy SRB project—£1,087,700

    Working Together Suffolk Rural (County-wide)—£268,864

    Foundation East (formally Suffolk Regeneration Trust)—£814,000

Approved enterprise activity in the 2006-07 Suffolk IiC business plan commencing shortly (some interventions county-wide)—£130,000.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to encourage enterprise among people agedover 30. [85919]

Margaret Hodge: The Government are pursuing a range of programmes to encourage enterprise in the over 30s.

These include:

    Providing the information, advice and support needed for entrepreneurs to start, maintain and grow a business through the Business Link service in England, and its counterparts in the Devolved Administrations.

    Providing a targeted programme of support through the New Deal to suitable unemployed people, offering advice and training from a specialist provider.

    Pump priming the Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (PRIME) with revenue and loan guarantee support through the DTI’s Phoenix Fund. This has supported entrepreneurial activity amongst over 50’s across the country.

    Creating a Taskforce on Women’s Enterprise to accelerate the development of women’s enterprise. Regional Development Agencies are piloting Women's Enterprise Units to trial different approaches to supporting the start-up and growth of women-owned businesses.

    Supporting a programme of activity led by the Ethnic Minority Business Forum to promote enterprise amongst ethnic minority groups. A three-year action plan was published in December 2005.

    Running ‘Enterprising Britain’, an annual national competition to find the country’s most enterprising city, town, place or area, which showcases what is being done to support a stronger, more dynamic enterprise culture across the UK.


24 July 2006 : Column 1028W

    Increasing the resources available to RDAs, all of whom are tasked with encouraging enterprise, with targets for the number of new businesses created and surviving in their regions.

Enterprise Insight

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed in each of the (a) local and (b) sectoral enterprise campaigns established by Enterprise Insight; when the recruitment process for these will be completed; what costs have been incurred in recruiting people for these posts; and when each campaign will be fully operational. [85680]

Margaret Hodge: All the Local and Sectoral Enterprise Campaign Hubs are expected to be fully functional by the end of September 2006.

At present, one person has been appointed for the Lowestoft Local Enterprise Campaign Hub, and a further five people will be taking up their roles in other hubs over the next six weeks.

Enterprise Insight aims to recruit a total of twenty-one people to work on these elements of their work. The recruitment process should be completed by the end of September 2006.

Expenditure incurred to date on the recruitment for the Local and Sectoral Hubs is £49,284.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his Answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 135W, on Enterprise Insight, what targets have been set for Enterprise Week 2006; what funding was provided for Enterprise Insight in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2004-05; and what funding has been allocated for (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. [87375]

Margaret Hodge: Targets for Enterprise Insight in relation to Enterprise Week 2006 have been agreed as follows:

    Number of events in Enterprise Week 2006—3,000;

    Number of Enterprise Week 2006 participants—500,000;

    Number of teams taking part in the 2006 ‘Make Your Mark’ Challenge—4,000;

    Number of entries to the 2006 Enterprising Young Brits —2,000;

    Editorial value of media coverage—£6.5million;

    Number of TV partners on board—8.

The funding provided for Enterprise Insight in 2004-05 was £763,000, and in 2005-06 was £2 million. The funding allocated for Enterprise Insight for 2007-08 is £5 million as detailed in paragraph 16 of the 2004 Spending Review. No funding has yet been allocated for Enterprise Insight in 2008-09.

EU Convergence Funding

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what timetable has been set for the delivery of the EU Convergence Funding programme to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly between 2007 and 2013. [87610]


24 July 2006 : Column 1029W

Margaret Hodge: The EU Institutions are currently finalising a new package of legislation to govern future Structural Funds Programmes for the 2007-13 financial period. All of the new legislation is expected to come into force in the autumn.

Once the new legislation is agreed, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, like other UK regions, will need to submit a draft Operational Programme to the European Commission for negotiation and approval. Partners in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are currently working on producing a draft, which will in due course be submitted to a full consultation.

The first budget commitment for the Operational Programme will be made by the Commission at the time that they adopt the decision approving the Operational Programme.

However, expenditure will be eligible for a contribution from the Funds from 1 January 2007 or the date on which the European Commission deem the Operational Programme admissible if that occurs earlier.

EU Directives

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was to his Department of implementing and administering EU directives, regulations and policies decided in 2005-06. [86751]

Mr. McCartney: The Department hold no records centrally relating to the origin of regulations and policies. The length of development, negotiation and implementation varies enormously from policy to policy and it would be hard to obtain a meaningful figure. Deriving such figures would incur a disproportionate cost. All proposals, which impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector, require a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which includes details of the costs, benefits and risks of the proposal. Costs to Government including enforcement costs are included in the RIA. Copies of final RIAs are placed in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in his Department to implement and administer EU directives, regulations and policies. [86753]

Mr. McCartney: The Department does not record the cost or the number of staff required for negotiating and implementing regulatory directives, regulations and policies emanating from Europe.

Food Trading Relationships

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations his Department has received on the trading relationships through the food supply chain from primary producers to supermarkets in each of the last three years. [87517]

Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, myself, our predecessors and DTI officials have received a significant number of representations,
24 July 2006 : Column 1030W
including from the Association of Convenience Stores, the British Retail Consortium, supplier representatives, the Independent Retailers Association, the National Consumer Council, individual members of the public, interested MPs and the major supermarkets.

Figures for the number of representations are not held centrally.

Fuel Bills

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much on average domestic gas and electricity bills have increased in real terms between the first quarter of 2003 and the most recent quarter for which information is available. [87435]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows:

Domestic gas prices have risen by 31 per cent. in real terms in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the first quarter of 2003. This increase has resulted in domestic gas prices being at their highest level since the third quarter of 1988.

Domestic electricity prices have risen by 20 per cent. in real terms in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the first quarter of 2003. Despite this increase, prices are still 12 per cent. below 1990 levels in real terms.

Fuel Supply Mix Options

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the fuel supply mix options for the power generation sector that would be available should a policy decision be taken not to enable new nuclear plants to be built. [82095]

Malcolm Wicks: In its Energy Review Report, published on 11 July, the Government concluded that, over the next few years, new investment in power generation is likely to be in renewables and gas-fired power stations. Longer term there are other low carbon forms of generation that can contribute to meeting our goals. In particular, the Government concluded that new nuclear power stations could make a significant contribution to meeting our energy policy goals. It will be for the power sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate new power generation and to meet all associated costs.

Furniture Imports

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the letter of 18 April 2006 from the hon. Member for Billericay about sofas imported from eastern Europe. [70339]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 12 May 2006]: A response to this letter was sent on 24 May.

Grant Schemes

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much he expects will be distributed to companies under grant schemes administered by the Department in 2006-07. [86752]


24 July 2006 : Column 1031W

Margaret Hodge: The Department of Trade and Industry expects to distribute £314 million to companies under the grant schemes for 2006-07.

Heat Delivery Networks

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work his Department sponsors into the development of local distributed networks for heat delivery. [87634]

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI co-chairs with Ofgem the Electricity Networks Strategy Group. This is a body made up of industry representatives who advise on how the networks can help deliver energy goals. Work programmes, largely funded by the DTI, research a variety of issues. Previous work has addressed barriers which prevented distributed generation connecting to the network. This has helped remove barriers to the development of combined heat and power.


24 July 2006 : Column 1032W

High Energy-Using Industries

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the change in the number of jobs in (a) ceramics, (b) glass, (c) paper and (d) other high energy using industries was in the last year for which figures are available. [86756]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Changes in the average yearly employment between 2003 and 2004 for the 15 highest energy using production industry groups (3-digit Standard Industrial Classification level, except for construction) in terms of consumption of tonnes of oil equivalents are shown in the table. Information is included for the ceramics production industry groups, which are not high energy using industries applying this definition.

UK energy consumption Average yearly employment, UK
2003 (Thousand) 2003 (Thousand) 2004 (Thousand) Thousand Percentage

Manufacture of refined petroleum products(1)

5,625

26

25

-1

-4

Manufacture of basic chemicals

4,935

62

60

-2

-3

Manufacture of coke oven products(1)

3,422

26

25

-1

-4

Manufacture of plastic products

2,089

187

187

0

0

Manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferro-alloys

1,709

29

22

-7

-24

Manufacture of other food products

1,220

193

186

-7

-4

Manufacture of articles of paper and paperboard

1,161

69

66

3

-4

Printing and service activities related to printing

1,118

185

170

-15

-8

Manufacture of cement, lime and plaster

992

4

5

1

25

Manufacture of basic precious and non-ferrous metals

967

20

20

0

0

Manufacture of beverages

795

53

52

-1

-2

Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemicals and botanical products

793

73

73

0

0

Manufacture of rubber products

730

34

31

-3

-9

Construction

727

1,329

1,347

18

1

Manufacture of glass and glass products

716

33

31

-2

-6

Manufacture of non-refractory ceramic goods other than for construction purposes; refractory ceramic products

137

24

22

-2

-8

Manufacture of ceramic tiles and flags

14

2

3

1

50

(1) Employment information provided for these industries is for the 2-digit manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuel, as information at the 3-digit industry group level has been suppressed to avoid disclosure.
Sources:
1. DTI UK energy industrial consumption tables.
2. ONS Annual Business Inquiry.

Home Computer Initiative Scheme

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date his most recent assessment of the Home Computer Initiative scheme was passed to the Treasury; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [64380]

Mr. Darling: [holding answer 19 April 2006]: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to his query I can confirm that the DTI have regular discussions with the Treasury on budgetary initiatives. We do not publish details of these for reasons of confidentiality.

Hydro Power

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential for development of low-head hydro power in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales in the Energy Review. [87632]

Malcolm Wicks: In 1987 the then Department of Energy commissioned the University of Salford to
24 July 2006 : Column 1033W
undertake a comprehensive assessment of the economic potential for small-scale hydro-electric generation throughout the UK.

The scope of the study extended to sites with installed capacities in the range 25kW to 5MW. Further limiting conditions were to disregard sites with hydraulic heads of less than 2 metres, with existing civil works, or less than 3 metres with no existing civil works.

The comprehensive results of the study were published in report, "Small Scale Hydroelectricity Generation Potential in the UK" ETSU-SSH-4063 (Parts 1-3), a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

Information Tribunal

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates communication between his Department and Treasury Counsel took place on the subject of Appeal No. EA/2005/0023 to the Information Tribunal, broken down by type of communication. [72393]

Jim Fitzpatrick: I can neither confirm nor deny whether communication of any type took place between the Department and Treasury Counsel in relation to the Appeal No. EA/2005/0023 to the Information Tribunal. There is a public interest that decisions taken by government are taken in a fully informed legal context, to ensure good decision-making. Disclosure of whether the Department has sought legal advice has a significant potential to prejudice the government's ability to defend its legal interests.

The decision neither to confirm nor deny the existence of information in this case should not be taken as an indication that the information does, in fact, exist. The concern is to protect the public interest by ensuring that the Department is at all times able to seek legal advice in an uninhibited fashion where it is appropriate to do so.

IT Contracts

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [88977]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has a main information technology contract which is a private finance initiative (PFI) agreement with Fujitsu Services and has been in place for more than five years. The Department has also recently awarded a competed services framework arrangement to six other suppliers and this will enable an element of additional competition for future IT projects. To-date no significant contracts have been awarded to these suppliers.

For the Department’s PFI agreement with Fujitsu, covering desktop services and application development and support, spend in the last five years has been:


24 July 2006 : Column 1034W
£ million

2001-02

36

2002-03

35

2003-04

37

2004-05

32

2005-06

30


Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [88978]

Jim Fitzpatrick: During the last five years the Department has not abandoned any IT contracts awarded during that period. The Department has a main information technology contract which is a private finance initiative (PFI) agreement with Fujitsu Services and has been in place for more than five years. The Department has also recently awarded a competed services framework arrangement to six other suppliers but to-date no significant contracts have been awarded to these suppliers.

Local Distribution Grids

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the adequacy of investment in local distribution grids by the distribution network operators; and if he will make a statement. [86936]

Malcolm Wicks: Price controls for the period 2005-10, which set the operational and capital expenditure for the 14 electricity distribution networks, were agreed between the regulator (Ofgem) and the distribution network operators in January 2005. Ofgem has to allow the networks sufficient revenue to invest in their businesses to deliver licence conditions, which include having safe and reliable networks. At the same time, Ofgem seeks to keep costs down for consumers. The reliability of the distribution networks in Britain has improved, with power cuts relating to underlying performance (i.e. taking out major storms) down by16 per cent. since performance incentives were introduced in 2002.

For the 2005-10 price control, £5.7 billion has been allowed for investment in the distribution networks. These allowances are 48 per cent. above the 2000-05 price control. Specific measures have been introduced to assist renewables and distributed generation. The 2005-10 price controls addresses three key areas: the need to increase investment and efficiency, to improve quality of service and to accommodate the growth in distributed generation.

Low Carbon Buildings

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value is of household grants applied for since the start of the Low Carbon Buildings programme. [78486]


24 July 2006 : Column 1035W

Malcolm Wicks: The total value of household grants applied for since the start of the Low Carbon Buildings programme is £1,670,730. This figure represents applications received some of which will not go forward. Actual grants offered up to 7 July 2006 is £527,763.

Minimum Wage

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department expects the next revision to the youth rate of the national minimum wage; what representations he has received on this matter; and what plans he has to make representations on this matter. [87126]

Jim Fitzpatrick: In line with the recommendationof the Low Pay Commission, on 1 October the development rate for 16-17 year olds will increase to £3.30 an hour.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what trade-related (a) missions he plans to undertake and (b) meetings he plans to hold during the parliamentary recess. [86765]

Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry plans to visit Brazil in September, accompanied by a business delegation. During the recess he will continue to hold discussions on trade, investment and economic affairs, including with business, other non-governmental organisations, as well as European Union and non-European Union contacts, as necessary.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87643]

Jim Fitzpatrick: During this period the walls of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s office were repainted in 2005.

Additionally in 2002, some changes including redecoration were made to his office as part of a wider programme of works affecting the whole floor to make more efficient use of space and greater use of open plan working.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions (a) civil servants and (b) special advisors in his Department have stayed overnight in (i) five star, (ii) four star and (iii) three star hotels in each of the last three years. [69001]

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.


24 July 2006 : Column 1036W

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years. [69002]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on overnight accommodation broken down as requested is not available and could be made available only at disproportionate cost. The following table shows the total expenditure on hotel accommodation for both DTI officials and Ministers, split between the UK and overseas, in the last three years.

Expenditure on overnight accommodation for DTI Ministers and officials
£
Financial year UK hotels Hotel overseas

2003-04

130,000

105,000

2004-05

345,000

340,000

2005-06

476,000

469,000


New Power Stations

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account he takes of different levels of forecast emissions of carbon dioxide in determining planning applications for new power stations. [86129]

Malcolm Wicks: There are no set limits for emissions of carbon dioxide when considering power station applications. However the Environmental Impact Assessment which accompanies an application includes a statement on how the proposal contributes to meeting the Government’s target to reduce emissions of gases which contribute to global warming and acid rain. In addition, and before any consent is granted, we need confirmation from the Environment Agency that the impact of emissions would not be detrimental to the health of people and flora and fauna.

NIREX

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation plan to replace NIREX will be independent of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; and if he will make a statement. [86363]

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.

Future policy, and arrangements for implementing this, will be decided by Government in light of the Committee for Radioactive Waste Management’s (CoRWM) final recommendations. CoRWM’s report is due to be delivered to Government at the end of this month. Government will make a formal response to their report after the recess when the UK Government and Devolved Administrations are sitting.

Nuclear Power

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of
24 July 2006 : Column 1037W
26 June 2006, Official Report, columns 75-76W, on nuclear power, what nuclear decommissioning activity has been undertaken since 1 April 2005; and at what site the clean-up activity took place. [85962]

Malcolm Wicks: Details of the decommissioning activity carried out since 1 April 2005 will be set out in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06. The accounts are currently being finalised and audited. They will be published and laid in the House in due course after they have been signed off by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Full details of all the NDA's activities can be found on its website:

    www.nda.gov.uk

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reports his Department has received which identify sites suitable for building nuclear power stations in addition to those presently in service. [86711]

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has received no such reports identifying new potential sites for nuclear power stations.

October Bank Holiday

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will bring forward legislation to amend the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 to provide for an additional bank holiday on the last Monday in October each year; what recent representations he has received calling for an additional bank holiday; and if he will make a statement. [87109]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government receive a variety of suggestions for new or different bank holidays. The present pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted, and we have no current plans to change the arrangements.

The Government are currently consulting on proposals to increase the statutory annual leave entitlement to ensure that time off equivalent to bank and public holidays is additional to the existing annual leave entitlement.

Outsourcing

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what administrative functions for which his Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment he has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81557]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has not outsourced any of its administrative functions overseas nor are there currently any plans in place to do so.

Personal Debt

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account he has taken of increased casework caused by high levels of personal debt in the allocation of funding for donations to the Citizens Advice Bureaux by his Department. [88130]


24 July 2006 : Column 1038W

Mr. McCartney: The Citizens Advice Bureaux have been very successful in bidding for support under the £45 million Financial Inclusion Fund for debt advice. They have led 10 of the 16 selected advice-giving projects that have resulted in around £30 million of funds being granted to them. Their casework evidence was a crucial factor in deciding this allocation.

Peugeot

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conditions were applied to the grant offer made to Peugeot in November for the manufacture of the 207 at Ryton; and what reasons were given to his Department for the refusal of the grant. [86206]

Margaret Hodge: The terms and conditions of the £14.4 million Regional Selective Assistance grant offered to Peugeot for the manufacture of the 207 model at Ryton are confidential between the Government and Peugeot. The company did not take up the offer as they decided not to proceed with the project.

Planning (Energy Generation)

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role (a) he and (b) ministers in his Department play in planning decisions for (i) new power plants and (ii) wind turbines. [86851]

Malcolm Wicks: Under the specialised regime of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 onshore power stations, however fuelled, over 50 MW and offshore renewable power stations over 1 MW, in England and Wales fall to the Secretary of State to determine. Onshore power station proposals of 50 MW or less are dealt with under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 by local planning authorities and Ministers in this Department have no role to play in deciding those applications.

Post Office Card Account

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people visited each of the post offices in Chorley constituency using the Post Office card account to withdraw (a) benefit and (b) pensions in the last 12 months. [87433]

Jim Fitzpatrick: I understand from Post Office Ltd. (POL) that the information is not available in the format requested. POL cannot provide a breakdown of which benefits customers are withdrawing cash for as they may have a range of benefits paid into a Post Office card account (POCA) and then withdraw cash from any Post Office branch via their POCA. Also, they do not capture information on which customers are making visits or their withdrawal pattern.

Renewable Energy

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish a consultation paper on banding the Renewables Obligation, as announced in the Energy Review Report. [87614]


24 July 2006 : Column 1039W

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government intend to publish the consultation document on the banding of the Renewables Obligation in the autumn this year.

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome has been of the project for Renewable Energy Systems at Beaufort Court; how much public money was involved in the project; and if he will make a statement. [75377]

Malcolm Wicks: Renewable Energy System’s development at Beaufort Court has not received any financing from UK Government but has, according to the website (http://www.beaufortcourt.com), received funding from the European Union through the EC framework 5 programme

Royal Mail (Complaints)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints from customers were received by the Royal Mail (a) nationally and (b) in the York postal area (i) in 2005-06 and (ii) each of the previous four years; and whether it is the Government's policy that the Royal Mail should continue to publish information about complaints received in each post code area. [87050]

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. Adam Crozier, the Chief Executive of Royal Mail has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Postcomm, the postal regulator is responsible for licensing postal operators. Under the terms of Royal Mail's licence they are required to publish details of complaints received, incorporating number of claims of compensation. They must be published in a manner that ensures reasonable publicity.

Russia

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has made
24 July 2006 : Column 1040W
to his Russian counterpart regarding security of British investments in Russia. [85087]

Mr. McCartney: Senior officials have regular contact with the Russians on investment questions, including the importance of legal and administrative arrangements which secure and promote British investment in Russia. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not yet had the opportunity personally to meet his Russian counterparts but investment issues will form part of the discussion when he does.

Science Centres

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent meetings he has held with representatives of science centres to discuss their future role and funding. [87026]

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning (Bill Rammell) on 20 July 2006, Official Report, columns 651-52W.

Small Businesses

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small businesses operated in (a) Brent, East and (b) Brent in each year since 1997. [87423]

Margaret Hodge: Estimates of the total number of small businesses are only available at a regional level. However, figures for the number of VAT registered businesses are available at the local level. Latest data on the stock of VAT registered businesses at the end of each year since 1997 are shown in the following table for (a) Brent, East constituency and (b) the London borough of Brent.

End year stock of VAT registered businesses, 1997-2004( 1)
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Brent, East Constituency

2,755

2,855

2,960

2,920

2,965

2,990

3,035

3,015

Brent Borough

7,750

8,045

8,260

8,385

8,430

8,450

8,550

8,560

(1 )VAT registration and de-registration data are not available by size of business. However, in Brent borough 98 per cent. of the total stock of VAT registered businesses are small (0-49 employees).
Sources:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available from the Library of the House and also at http://WWW.sbs.gov.uk/vats
Office for National Statistics, UK Business: Activity, Size and Location—2005, available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=933

In Brent borough the stock of VAT registered businesses increased each year from 1997 to 2004, rising by 10 per cent. overall. In Brent, East the VAT registered stock rose by 9 per cent. between 1997 and 2004.

Figures based on VAT registered businesses only do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million businesses (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Staff Absenteeism

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many working days were lost to his Department and its executive agencies in each
24 July 2006 : Column 1041W
year since 1997 due to staff absenteeism, expressed as the average annual number of absent days per employee; and what the estimated total cost to the Department and its agencies of absenteeism was in each year. [78082]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 19 June 2006]: The average annual number of absent days per DTI (core DTI/HQ) employee in each year since 2000 is:

Headcount Full-time equivalent

2005

5.7

5.9

2004

8.0

8.2

2003

7.0

7.2

2002

7.0

7.2

2001

6.7

6.9

2000

6.6

6.8


Using the figure of £1098 pa per person absent used in the “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 2004” report, the estimated total cost of sick absence to DTI HQ in each year 2000 to 2005 is:

£

2005

79,056

2004

129,564

2003

114,192

2002

109,800

2001

101,016

2000

98,820


The DTI does not hold the sick absence data for earlier than 2000.

Supermarket Code of Practice

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Competition Commission, (b) the Office of Fair Trading and (c) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the supermarket code of practice. [87518]

Mr. McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers meet with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), Competition Commission (CC) and colleagues at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a regular basis to discuss topics of mutual interest.

The OFT referred the grocery market to the CC on9 May for a market inquiry. Competition in the supermarket and grocery sectors is a matter for the independent competition authorities.

Television Licences

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussion took place between his Department and the BBC about the decision not to renew the contract for renewal and purchase of television licences supplied at post offices. [87428]


24 July 2006 : Column 1042W

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. The decision was a commercial one made by the BBC as the television licensing authority looking to the interests of licence fee payers and seeking to ensure the best deal for the public in this capacity.

TPS

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households have signed up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS); and how many householders live in premises that are protected by TPS regulations by virtue of a previous occupant having registered with the service. [75598]

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:

(a) The Direct Marketing Association runs the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme under the terms of contract on behalf of the Office of Communications and the Information Commissioner’s Office has responsibility for enforcement. The TPS estimates that there are currently 12.7 million numbers registered with them. It should be noted that the TPS enables consumers to register individual telephone numbers including mobile numbers, rather than households. At the time of registration the TPS records the consumer’s name, address and telephone number, but this does not give an accurate assessment of how many households are registered with the TPS.

(b) In view of the fact that the TPS registers individual numbers rather than households it is not possible to assess how many householders live in premises protected by the previous occupant’s TPS registration. However, within the next 12 months the TPS intends to identify any TPS registered numbers, which were not registered by the current consumer and will contact them to confirm if they still wish to remain registered.

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many individuals have registered with the Telephone Preference Service on more than one occasion. [75600]

Margaret Hodge: The Direct Marketing Association runs the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme on behalf of the Office of Communications and the Information Commissioner’s Office has responsibility for enforcement. The TPS estimates that currently 833,825 consumers have registered the same number on more than one occasion with them. It should be noted that duplicate numbers are not present on the TPS register as they are removed when the TPS carries out their checks to update their records.

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been made against the 10 companies breaching Telephone Preference Service regulations most frequently in the last 12 months. [75701]

Margaret Hodge: The Direct Marketing Association runs the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) scheme on behalf of the Office of Communications and the Information Commissioner's Office has responsibility for enforcement. The TPS records indicate that the total number of complaints made against the top 10
24 July 2006 : Column 1043W
companies for 2005 was 7,701. It should be noted that this figure includes complaints where consumers may not have been registered with the TPS or had not allowed the necessary 28 days to elapse before their registration took effect.

Trade Descriptions Act

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of the Trade Descriptions (Place of Production) (Marking) Order 1988; how many (a) individuals and (b) companies have been prosecuted under this Order and the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 in each year since 1989; and what recent representations he has received on the operation of this Order. [82891]

Mr. McCartney: According to information obtained from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the number of prosecutions notified to them by Trading Standards Services under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 in each year since 1989 are:

Individuals Companies Total

1989

974

448

1,422

1990

1,083

422

1,505

1991

1,111

381

1,492

1992

1,405

395

1,800

1993

1,527

387

1,914

1994

1,234

310

1,544

1995

1,204

318

1,522

1996

847

281

1,128

1997

871

345

1,216

1998

756

238

994

1999

599

162

761

2000

441

154

595

2001

563

168

731

2002

361

114

475

2003

426

151

577

2004

294

86

380

2005

285

76

361

2006

130

34

164

Total

14,111

4,470

18,581


OFT confirm that they received no details of any prosecutions made under the Trade Descriptions (Place of Production) (Marking) Order 1988, which was repealed in 1996 by the Trade Descriptions (Place of Production) (Marking) (Revocation) Order 1996.

UK Trade

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of UK trade was with (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria in the latest period for which figures are available. [84722]

Mr. McCartney: The percentage of total UK trade with Romania in 2005 was 0.3 per cent. The percentage of total UK trade with Bulgaria in 2005 was 0.08 per cent.


24 July 2006 : Column 1044W

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of how UK trade with (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria will develop once those nations have joined the European Union. [84723]

Mr. McCartney: Assessments carried out by United Kingdom Trade and Investment conclude that a growing level of interest in Bulgaria and Romania from UK business in the lead up to EU membership will increase yet further on accession because of the opportunities it affords. Furthermore EU accession in itself is only one of the catalysts for increased opportunity. Growing economic prosperity, the development of a market economy and rising standards of living will contribute to this process as well and are already well under way in thee countries.

VAT

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses were registered for VAT in each region in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [86949]

Margaret Hodge: The latest available information on VAT registrations by region is published in “VAT Registrations UK, Country, Government Office Region, County, District and Constituency 1994-2004”, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

This information is also available from the Small Business Service website at: www.sbs.gov.uk/vats(Table la).

World Trade Organisation Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK Government’s position is on including services and trade facilitation in the Doha Round of World Trade Organisation negotiations. [81574]

Mr. McCartney: The UK remains strongly committed to ensuring an ambitious and pro-development outcome to the Doha Round that provides real benefits to developing countries and an overall stimulus to world trade in goods and services. The inclusion of services and trade facilitation in the Doha Ministerial Declaration that launched the Round in 2001 was welcomed by the UK Government. Both are important elements of the ambitious and balanced final agreement that is our objective for these negotiations, towards which we continue to work.

Youth Training

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to re-organise the system of training initiatives for young people; and what the rationale was behind launching Great Expectations. [76015]

Margaret Hodge: There are no plans in England to reorganise training for young people. The successful apprenticeships programme remains the primary vocational route for young people into skilled jobs.


24 July 2006 : Column 1045W

Great Expectations is an Enterprise Challenge in which young people assume the roles of entrepreneurs. The strategic aims was to promote an entrepreneurial culture to young people through forms of delivery that excited interest, inspired and provided role models to young people.

It is included by Careers Scotland in their portfolio of schemes on offer in Scotland.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information his Department holds on (a) publicly owned and (b) privately owned companies which are trading with Zimbabwe. [87231]

Mr. McCartney: Data is not available on which UK companies are trading with Zimbabwe. Information on the main exports and imports by product was provided in response to Parliamentary Question: 2005/5083.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to his Department regarding the actions of UK companies in Zimbabwe. [87232]

Mr. McCartney: As stated in my reply of 17 July 2006, Official Report, columns 148-150W there are no sanctions or embargoes against British companies doing business in Zimbabwe.

We do not maintain a separate record of representations made to this Department on Zimbabwe.

Treasury

Access to Work Scheme

Roger Berry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [82234]

John Healey: Applications for support through the Access to Work Scheme, made via the Treasury’s diversity team are in the following table:

Applications to Access to Work Scheme

2001

(1, 2)

2002

(1, 2)

2003

1

2004

0

2005

2

2006-07

0

(1 )Data not available
(2) Records on applications to the Access to Work Scheme were kept from late 2003 onwards as the Treasury moved towards implementing a central reasonable adjustments budget (April 2004) and a more streamlined process for putting in place reasonable adjustments for its employees.

24 July 2006 : Column 1046W

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor ofthe Exchequer what advertising campaigns the Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87053]

John Healey: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) and the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on6 July 2005, Official Report, column 433W.

Alcohol Tax

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the consistency with which different strengths of alcohol are taxed. [87550]

John Healey: There are historic disparities in the rate at which different alcohol products are taxed. Since 1998, Government policy has been to seek a fairer balance of taxation between different alcohol products.

Business Energy Supplies Group

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the members of the group examining the provision of information and support on energy efficiency to business chaired by the Financial Secretary and Mr. Richard Ellis are; and when it has met. [87453]

John Healey: Budget 2006 announced that the Financial Secretary and Richard Ellis would co-chair a group to examine how best to provide information and support to business on energy efficiency. This group met recently. The organisations represented at this meeting were: the Carbon Trust, the CBI, the EEF, the British Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.

Capita Group

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have held with directors and senior executives of (i) Capita Group plc and (ii) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2004; and whether (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries have provided input (1) in writing and (2) in person to policy discussions in his Department since 1 January 2004. [61062]

John Healey: As part of the normal process of contact with business, Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of individuals and organisations. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s usual practice to provide details of all such meetings. Treasury meetings are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code, as appropriate.

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value of contracts held by his
24 July 2006 : Column 1047W
Department with (a) Capita plc and (b) its subsidiaries was in the last three financial years; [61459]

(2) how many tenders (a) Capita plc and (b) its subsidiaries have submitted to his Department in each of the last three years; and how many tenders were successful; [61460]

(3) how many contracts his Department holds with (a) Capita plc and (b) its subsidiaries which still have a potential duration of five years or more; [61461]

(4) how much business his Department has placed with (a) Capita Group plc and (b) its subsidiaries in each of the last five years; what the total value is of outstanding contracts placed with Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries by his Department; for which current tenders issued by his Department (i) Capita Group plc and (ii) its subsidiaries have been invited to bid; and whether (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries have seconded staff (1) temporarily and(2) on a longer-term basis to (X) his Department and (Y) its agencies. [61061]

John Healey: Any consultant engaged by a Department needs to pass through a rigorous and transparent procurement process in line with EU procurement directives.

Like every other Government Department the Treasury's annual accounts are scrutinised by the House and by the NAO.

The Treasury has two contracts with Capita. At no time was there any ministerial involvement in the contracts mentioned.

Figures for the costs of using consultants, including Capita, were released in a freedom of information request to the BBC on 23 January and have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

There are no staff seconded by Capita or its subsidiaries to the Treasury or its agencies.

Caravan Parks

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of people live in caravan parks in each local authority area in England and Wales in descending order according to percentage of the population resident in such parks. [88287]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    I am replying as National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of people live in caravan parks in each local authority area in England and Wales in descending order according to percentage of the population resident in that way. (88287)

    The nearest information available from the 2001 census is accommodation type which includes a category for “caravans or other mobile or temporary structures”. This includes caravans that are not in parks and other mobile structures such as boats. The data was published in table S050 in the “Census 2001 National report for England and Wales pt 1” which is available in the House of Commons library. However for convenience the relevant columns have been extracted and placed separately in the House of Commons library.


24 July 2006 : Column 1048W

Casinos

Mr. Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have held meetings in the last 12 months with casino operators interested in securing licences under the Gambling Act 2005; where each meeting took place; and what was discussed. [83364]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy analysis, development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Company Acquisitions

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data are collected by the Government related to (a) the acquisition of companies financed by the (i) exchange and (ii) issue of shares and (b) the financial performance of such companies, with particular reference to patterns of investment by them. [87131]

Ed Balls: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what data is collected by the Government related to (a) the acquisition of companies financed by the (i) exchange and (ii) issue of shares and (b) the financial performance of such companies, with particular reference to patterns of investment by them. (87131) The data requested are not available. However, ONS publish data on acquisitions in the UK by UK companies that are funded by share issues and exchanges. Table 9 of the ONS Mergers and Acquisitions First Release provides a breakdown of this information. Information is not collected on whether the shares involved are existing shares or new issues of shares.

    This can be found using the following weblink:

    http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=72&Pos=1&ColRank=1&Rank=208

Consultancy Firms

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to collect centrally information on consultancy firms hired by Government Departments. [88201]

John Healey: OGC does not hold central information on public sector spend on consultancy and currently there are no plans to start to do so.

Copyright (Sports Sector)

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will ask the Gowers Intellectual Property review team to include within its terms of reference copyright issues affecting the sports sector; [84261]

(2) if he will ask the Gowers Intellectual Property review team to examine the impact of the EC Database Directive 1996 on the (a) English and (b) Scottish
24 July 2006 : Column 1049W
football leagues’ right to charge betting companies for the use of their fixtures lists. [84262]

John Healey: Mr. Andrew Gowers has been asked to conduct an independent review into the intellectual property system, to ensure it is fit for the digital age. The published terms of reference for the review are as follows:

The review will provide an analysis of the performance of the UK IP system, including inter alia,

    the way in which Government administers the awarding of IP and their support to consumers and business;

    how well businesses are able to negotiate the complexity and expense of the copyright and patent system, including copyright and patent licensing arrangements, litigation and enforcement; and

    whether the current technical and legal IP infringement framework reflects the digital environment, and whether provisions for ‘fair use’ by citizens are reasonable.

The Government have previously committed to examining whether the current term of copyright protection on sound recordings and performers’ rights is appropriate. This will also be conducted within the review.

This review is independent of Government, and Mr. Andrew Gowers is responsible for identifying and prioritising the issues of prime importance within the overall terms of reference outlined above. He will be making recommendations to Government toward the end of 2006 to address these issues.

Databases

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has given the Home Secretary on managing complex computer databases. [82812]

Mr. Timms: The Office of Government Commerce, through its Gateway Review process, advises all Departments on acquisition and procurement projects.

Defence

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public spending on defence was in each year since 1997 in (a) cash terms, (b) at 2006 prices and (c) as a percentage of gross domestic product. [86990]

Mr. Timms: Final outturn figures for defence spending in financial years 1997-98 to 2004-05, expressed in terms of 2004-05 prices, and as a percentage of GDP, can be found in Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2006, tables 3.2 and 3.4 respectively. GDP deflators to adjust this data to 2005-06 prices are available on the Treasury website at:

    http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/255/F4/gapdeflators_300606.xls

In addition, defence final outturn figures for 2005-06 can be found in the MOD’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on hotels (a) in the UK and (b) abroad by his Department’s employees in the last 12 months. [83498]


24 July 2006 : Column 1050W

John Healey: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 24 May 2006, Official Report, column 1850W.

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on heating his Department’s buildings in London in each year since 1997. [83505]

John Healey: The Treasury’s heating is provided by the Whitehall District Heating System operated by OGCbuying solutions. The Whitehall District Heating System also supplies the Treasury’s hot water except in the summer months. The total cost of the Treasury’s use of the system since 2002-03 is set out in the following table. Figures for years prior to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system in that year.

£000

2002-03

492

2003-04

381

2004-05

336

2005-06

310


Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on artwork in each year since 1997. [83507]

John Healey: There was no spending by the Treasury on works of art in 2005-06. In relation to previous years, I refer to the answers given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 8 December 2003, Official Report, column 333W, and to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 984W.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the total amount spent in a year on lighting his Department’s buildings in London. [83587]

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on electricity use in each year since 2003-04. [83776]

John Healey: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 332W. Spending by the Treasury on electricity in 2005-06 was £431,000.

Disaggregated figures for lighting, separate from other electricity use, are not available.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) his Department and (b) agencies of his Department spent on water and sewage services in each year since 2003-04. [83664]

John Healey: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 332W. Spending by the Treasury and its agencies in 2005-06 was as follows.


24 July 2006 : Column 1051W
2005-06 Spending (£)

HMRC and VOA

3,339,547

HMT

21,575

OGC and OGC Buying Solutions

25,595

ONS

(1)

GAD

2,246

DMO

(2)

NS&I

(3)

Royal Mint

371,384

(1) Information not yet available. (2) DMO costs are included in the service charge and disaggregated data for water and sewerage services is unavailable. (3) NS&I occupy a MOTO agreement with HMRC. Costs are included in the facilities charge and disaggregated data for water and sewerage services is unavailable.

Departmental Guidance

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to employees in his Department on (a) saving water, (b) conserving heat and (c) reducing electricity consumption. [83573]

John Healey: Treasury employees are encouraged to reduce utility consumption and wastage of resources routinely. The department works closely with contractors and staff to improve the efficient use of the building and workplace.

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2006, Official Report, column 414W, on sickness absence, to what he attributes the rise in the number of staff with (a) two, (b) three, (c) four and (d) five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in each of the last three years. [84075]

John Healey: Staff absenteeism recorded as sickness absence in each year since 1997 is contained in Cabinet Office publication of an annual report “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”. This report gives a detailed analysis of the civil service data, including patterns, frequency and reasons for absence.

This is available in the Library and on the civil service website at:

    http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational_health/publications/index.asp.

Departmental Water Use

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) sprinklers and (b) irrigation systems are used by (i) his Department and (ii) other departments for which he is responsible in London. [83499]

John Healey: There are no sprinklers and one irrigation system in the Treasury building at 1 Horse Guards Road. Information on other London based Departments is not held centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.


24 July 2006 : Column 1052W

Doha Round

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he plans to take over the next month to encourage revival of the Doha round of trade talks. [86766]

John Healey: As the Chancellor set out in his Mansion House speech on 21 June, the most powerful pro-globalisation signal we can send is to make possible the increase in world trade that an ambitious WTO settlement would bring.

The need for an ambitious and pro-development outcome to the Doha round of trade talks was a key message of the UK presidencies in 2005. This was reiterated by G8 heads of government at their St. Petersburg summit on 15-17 July 2006, where they noted their commitment to the development dimension of Doha, and urged all parties to work with the utmost urgency for the conclusion of the round by the end of 2006. As the G8 concluded, all countries should commit to the concerted leadership and action needed to reach a successful conclusion to the Doha round.

To this end Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings, conversations and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development, analysis and delivery, including WTO and ED member states.

Dual Flush Toilets

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dual flush toilets there are in his Department. [83578]

John Healey: All of the 144 toilets in the Treasury building at 1 Horse Guards Road have a dual flush facility.

ECOFIN

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the proposals tabled by the UK presidency at the December ECOFIN meeting regarding the next steps towards better European regulation have been implemented by (a) the UK and (b) other member states. [88098]

Ed Balls: At the December 2005 ECOFIN, the UK, Austria and Finland issued a joint-presidency discussion paper setting out areas for future work by the Commission working together with member states to improve the regulatory framework in Europe. Since December progress has been made in a number of areas. The Commission has been piloting administrative burden measurement and plans to identify priority areas for action and options for setting targets to reduce administrative costs by the end of the year, enabling concrete proposals to be made next year. The Commission is also reviewing its Impact Assessment procedures and its processes for consulting with stakeholders and is due to report on progress on its simplification plan in the autumn.

The UK continues to take the lead in pushing for Better Regulation in Europe while in the UK we are
24 July 2006 : Column 1053W
pressing ahead with implementation of the Hampton review recommendations on risk-based enforcement and the assessment of administrative burdens.

Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the reference to the high-level group in paragraph 3.103 of HC 968, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2006, who the members of the group are; on what dates it has met; when it will announce a strategy; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of its meetings. [87532]

Ed Balls: The Treasury will announce publicly the composition of the high-level group when it meets for the first time in the autumn, following a series of meetings at official level which have been under way since the spring. The Treasury will make an announcement on the strategy before the end of the year.

Financial Consumer Education

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Services Authority has assessed the merits of setting up a stand-alone financial consumer education initiative. [87386]

Ed Balls: The Financial Services Authority (FSA), in partnership with the Government, the financial services industry and voluntary organisations, leads the national strategy for financial capability.

In March 2006 the FSA published “Delivering Change”, which sets out how it plans to improve financial capability in partnership with others. (http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/fincap_delivering.pdf). The programme includes promoting financial education in schools and in the workplace. The FSA also publishes information for consumers on its website including tools and resources for schools, young adults, workplace, new parents and two online consumer tools (the debt test and the financial healthcheck).

The Government have given strong support to the strategy and I announced last week that we would publish a 10-year strategy on financial capability and inclusion in the autumn.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for changes in spending on financial consumer education in connection with his target to educate all children in financial matters. [87387]

Ed Balls: The Financial Services Authority (FSA), in partnership with the Government, the financial services industry and voluntary organisations leads the national strategy for financial capability. One of the strands of the national strategy—“Learning Money Matters”—will provide schools with a comprehensive one-stop shop for help, support and advice to help them deliver effective personal finance education to their pupils. Learning Money Matters will be delivered by pfeg (the Personal Finance Education Group), an independent charity that works with schools to
24 July 2006 : Column 1054W
promote personal finance education for young people. The target is to reach 1.8 million children in 4,000 schools by 2010-11 to improve their financial knowledge, understanding and confidence.

While total costs incurred by all partners are not available, the FSA’s contributions to financial capability (for all aspects not just schools) were £2.5 million in 2003-04, £4 million in 2004-05 and£8 million in 2005-06 and up to £10 million for 2006-07.

What is clear is that improving financial capability is a long-term initiative. The 10-year strategy that I announced last week will take an in-depth look at how the Government can best contribute.

Financial Services Authority

Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the Financial Services Authority has made in enforcing testable business continuity planning among its members; and if he will make a statement. [87906]

Ed Balls: The UK financial authorities (HM Treasury, Bank of England and FSA) work together closely to ensure that the financial sector is prepared for and able to respond to disruptive events. The FSA has responsibility for ensuring that the firms it regulates have business continuity plans in place, and provides the lead for the authorities in the areas of benchmarking and testing.

The FSA launched the Resilience Benchmarking Project in 2005 to assess the overall resilience of the financial sector. Findings were published in a Discussion Paper on 14 December and a draft Business Continuity Management Guide was recently issued for consultation.

The FSA also organises an annual market-wide exercise to test the contingency arrangements of the financial authorities with market participants.

Fundamental Savings Review

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Members for Bosworth and Livingston of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1470, on the Fundamental Savings review, whether trading enterprises owned by the public sector will be sold off in the planned sale of assets. [86755]

Mr. Timms: The 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) will take forward the Government’s objective of realising £30 billion of asset disposals by 2010, and will examine options for disposing of other public assets, including public corporations and trading funds.

Gershon Review

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change has been in staff numbers in Departments subject to Gershon review reduction. [86754]


24 July 2006 : Column 1055W

Mr. Timms: As announced in “Releasing Resources to meet the challenges ahead: value for money in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review”, by the end of March 2006 departments had delivered more than half of the 84,000 workforce reductions planned by 2007-08 with 45,547 gross reductions.

Departments publish data on the size of their workforce in their annual reports. The relationship between this data and the data used to measure progress against the SR04 Efficiency programme is set out in the technical note published by the Cabinet Office; (http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/doc/workforce_reductions_tech_note.doc).

Home Information Packs

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Bank of England has made of the potential effect of home information packs on the economy. [86827]

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government recently published an assessment of the impact of Home Information Packs in a regulatory impact assessment accompanying regulations made under Part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. This assessment will be updated in the light of the findings of a baseline study of the home buying and selling process reporting later this year, information obtained during the dry-run of Home Information Packs, other research commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and in consultation with HM Treasury and Bank of England.

Household Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of families with three or more children in which neither parent works lived in each county in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available. [87733]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many and what percentage of families with three or more children in which neither parent works for each county in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent year.

    The table overleaf gives the estimates of the number and the percentage of families with three or more children for the three months ending June 2005. It shows people resident in the counties and unitary authorities in the UK.

    Estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.


24 July 2006 : Column 1056W
Families with three or more dependent children in which neither parent works by area of usual residence Not seasonally adjusted
Families with three or more children
Three months ending June 2005 In which neither parent works (000) As percentage of all such families

United Kingdom

99

8.6

England (1)

85

8.8

Cheshire

2

12.4

Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly

1

12.5

Devon

1

7.9

Lancashire

3

13.2

Lincolnshire

2

14.1

North Yorkshire

1

18.6

Tyne and Wear Met County

1

5.4

Greater Manchester Met County

4

7.1

Merseyside Met County

3

9.9

South Yorkshire Met County

2

12.9

West Yorkshire Met County

4

10.1

West Midlands Met County

6

11.5

Inner London

15

18.2

Outer London

11

11.7

Leicester UA

1

14.4

Medway UA

1

20.0

Portsmouth UA

1

20.4

Wales (2)

5

9.3

Scotland (2)

5

6.3

Northern Ireland

4

8.6

(1) Includes estimates for counties not listed for which sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.
(2 )Small sizes for all individual counties in Wales and Scotland are too small to provide estimates.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey

International Finance Facility

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries have committed to joining the international finance facility; and if he will make a statement. [88093]

Ed Balls: The international finance facility for immunisation was launched on 9 September 2005 by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), with announcements of financial contributions from the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Norway, Brazil and South Africa have also agreed to contribute financially, their contributions were announced in December 2005, March 2006 and April 2006 respectively.

IFFIm will provide $4 billion over 10 years to support vaccinations in the world’s poorest countries. We expect the first IFFIm disbursement to developing countries to take place later this year, and it is estimated that the frontloaded IFFIm resources will save a total of 10 million lives.


24 July 2006 : Column 1057W

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the first bond issue will be made under the international finance facility for immunisation; and if he will make a statement. [88094]

Ed Balls: The international finance facility for immunisation (IFFIm) was launched in September 2005 with contributions from France, Italy, Spain and Sweden, as well as the UK. Norway, Brazil and South Africa have since pledged contributions. The first IFFIm bonds will be issued in the next few months, and we expect that the IFFIm will begin purchasing vaccines and delivering these to the poorest countries through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) before the end of the year.

Inward Investment

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of inward investment in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area in each year since 1997. [87363]

Mr. Timms: The Office for National Statistics has reported levels of private sector investment in NUTS 1 regions and NUTS 2 sub-regions between 1998 and 2000 in table 17 of Economic Trends, December 2003 and can be viewed at:

    http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/economic_trends/ETDecCope.pdf

More recent information on private sector investment at the regional level only can be accessed at:

    http://www.dtistats.net/sd/rci/

Public sector investment can be viewed in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses.

Life Expectancy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy is in each London borough, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnicity. [87508]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the life expectancy is in each London borough broken down by (a) sex and (b) age. (87508)

    Figures on life expectancy at birth for local authorities, including London boroughs, are published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for males and females, based on three-year rolling averages. Results from 1991-93 to 2002-04 are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8841

    ONS does not publish life expectancy results for other ages. Figures for life expectancy at age 65 for local authorities have however previously been calculated for the most recent time period available, 2002-04. Figures for London boroughs are provided in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 1058W
Life expectancy at age 65 by London borough( 1) , 2002-04( 2)
Life expectancy at age 65 (years)
London borough Males Females

Barking and Dagenham

15.1

18.3

Barnet

17.7

20.4

Bexley

17.1

19.3

Brent

17.3

20.8

Bromley

17.5

20.4

Camden

16.6

19.6

Croydon

17.1

19.2

Ealing

16.7

20.0

Enfield

16.8

19.6

Greenwich

15.3

19.1

Hackney

16.8

20.1

Hammersmith and Fulham

17.1

21.0

Haringey

15.8

19.4

Harrow

18.1

21.0

Havering

16.5

19.2

Hillingdon

16.7

19.7

Hounslow

15.8

18.6

Islington

15.9

18.6

Kensington and Chelsea

20.4

23.4

Kingston upon Thames

17.4

19.4

Lambeth

16.1

18.9

Lewisham

15.6

18.3

Merton

17.3

20.5

Newham

15.7

18.5

Redbridge

16.9

19.6

Richmond upon Thames

17.5

20.3

Southwark

16.3

19.5

Sutton

17.3

19.2

Tower Hamlets

15.6

18.4

Waltham Forest

15.6

18.8

Wandsworth

16.3

19.1

Westminster

18.0

21.4

(1 )City of London has been excluded because of small numbers of deaths and populations in this area.
(2 )Results are based on deaths registered in 2002-04 and mid-year population estimates for these years.

Merlin Biosciences

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has met (a) Sir Christopher Evans and (b) representatives of Merlin Biosciences Limited on official business in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [61480]

John Healey: As part of the normal process of contact with business, Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of individuals and organisations. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s usual practice to provide details of all such meetings. Treasury meetings are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code, as appropriate.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what trade related (a) missions he plans to undertake and (b) meetings he plans to hold during the parliamentary recess. [86763]


24 July 2006 : Column 1059W

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals throughout the year as part of the process of policy development, analysisand delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of every such meeting.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87638]

John Healey: The Chancellor’s office was decorated once during this period as part of the refurbishment of 1 Horse Guards road.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries he has visited in Africa since 1997; and what the (a) dates, (b) objectives and (c) outcomes were of each visit. [87411]

John Healey: Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. Information for 2005-06 is currently being compiled and will be published shortly. All ministerial travel by Treasury Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the “Ministerial Code and Travel” by Ministers.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when and for how long he has visited (a) each member state of the European Union, (b) Japan, (c) India, (d) Brazil, (e) Canada, (f) New Zealand, (g) Australia, (h) South Korea, (i) Russia, (j) Singapore, (k) Thailand and (l) Mexico since 1997. [87738]

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2006, Official Report, column 1643W, on his official visit (Nigeria), what the normal procedures are; and on what date they were completed. [87893]

John Healey: Appropriate parties were notified prior to the visit. In addition the visit itself was widely publicised before it happened.

Ministry of Defence

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer further to Releasing the resources to meet the challenge ahead, Cm 6889, what reduction in the administration budget he will require of the Ministry of Defence. [86916]

Mr. Timms: While the Government are committedto controlling the overheads of all Government Departments, “Releasing the resources to meet the challenge ahead” cm 6889 does not set targetsfor individual Government Departments. The Government have affirmed their commitment to bear down on administration costs over the CSR period.


24 July 2006 : Column 1060W

MRSA

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many MRSA-related deaths there have been in (a) the UK and (b) each region in each of the last five years. [88152]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many MRSA-related deaths there have been in (a) the UK and (b) each region in each of the last five years.

    Figures on deaths involving MRS A are not available for the whole of the UK on a consistent basis. Figures for England and Wales are published annually in Health Statistics Quarterly - the most recent figures are for 2004 and were published in Health Statistics Quarterly 29 in February 2006. Figures for Northern Ireland are published annually - figures for the last five years were given in Hansard Written Answer 83964, Column 1774W.

    Figures on deaths mentioning MRSA for Government Office Regions of England, and Wales, are given in the attached table for the years 2000 to 2004.

Number of deaths where MRSA was a contributory factor( 1) , Government office regions of England, and Wales( 2) , 2000-2004( 3)
Government office region 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

North East

25

28

38

49

68

North West

63

53

75

113

127

Yorkshire and the Humber

43

65

75

82

115

East Midlands

46

66

50

74

90

West Midlands

82

80

82

93

115

East of England

68

81

84

100

128

London

86

90

103

104

135

South East

134

140

143

167

178

South West

69

78

92

108

136

England Total

616

681

742

890

1,092

Wales

51

53

58

64

75

England and Wales(4)

669

734

800

955

1,168

(1) Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004) Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993-2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 21, 15-22. (2) Usual residence of the deceased. (3) Figures are for deaths occurring in the years 2000 to 2004. (4 )Includes non-residents.

Named Day Questions

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer named day questions 61459, 61460 and 61461, concerning contracts and tenders with Capita plc., due for answer on 23 March. [83213]

John Healey [holding answer 10 July 2006]: I have done so. I apologise on behalf of the Treasury that the answer to the hon. Member’s questions was delayed.


24 July 2006 : Column 1061W

Net Taxes/National Insurance

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what net taxes and national insurance contributions were, excluding North Sea revenues as defined in footnote three to table C9 of the 2006 Budget report, HC 968, in each year since 1976-77; and what these figures represent as a percentage of gross domestic product in each year. [87533]

Mr. Timms: Data on net taxes and national insurance contributions and North Sea revenues as a percentage of GDP back to 1973-74 can be found in table C1 of the Public Finances Databank (availableon the web at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pubsec_finance/psf_statistics.cfm).

Office of Government Commerce

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been employed in the Office of Government Commerce efficiency team in each of the last five years. [87456]

John Healey: The OGC Efficiency Team was set up in 2004-05 to implement the findings of Sir Peter Gershon’s Report “Releasing Resources to the Front Line”.

In March 2005, at the end of the 2004-05 financial year, there were 28 staff employed in the Efficiency Team and in March 2006, at the end of the 2005-06 financial year, there were 29 staff employed in the Efficiency Team.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he has met the Prime Minister to discuss reports received from the Office of Government Commerce efficiency team in the last 12 months. [87457]

John Healey: The Chancellor is in regular and frequent contact with the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues. As has been the practice of successive Administrations, it is not the practice of the Government to provide detailed information relating to discussions between Ministers.

Oxycodone Hydrochloride (Imports)

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of (a) legal and (b) illegal imports of products manufactured from oxycodone hydrochloride from the Republic of Ireland. [80575]

Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.

Legal imports from the republic of Ireland are shown in total figures in the following table:


24 July 2006 : Column 1062W
Oxycodone hydrochloride (kilogram)

2001

40.8

2002

0

2003

0

2004

0

2005

1.6

2006 (to date)

2.1


No assessment of illegal importation has been made.

Pensions

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what projections in respect of unfunded public sector pension schemes in the 2005 Long Term Public Finance Report would be if allowance were made for (a) the future impact on NHS payscales of the implementation of Agenda For Change and (b) the agreement of new contracts for general practitioners and hospital consultants. [87530]

Mr. Timms: Existing GAD analysis in the technical note “Unfunded Public Service Pension Schemes: 2005 Cash flow Projections: Assumptions and Data” placed in the House of Commons library on 12 June 2006 takes into account the ‘one off’ effect of Agenda for Change. The future impact on NHS payscales or the agreement of new contracts for GPs and Hospital Consultants were not considered. These will be factored in GAD analysis as evidence of their effect comes through in future. Providing detailed updated projections would incur disproportionate costs, although “Total Liability of unfunded Public Service occupational Pension Schemes” placed in the House of Commons Library on 2 March 2006 estimated that the impact during 2004-05 of Agenda for Change and new GP contracts increased the liability of the unfunded schemes by £46 billion.

Personal Debt

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average amount of personal debt per person and (b) total amount of personal debt was in (i) Brent and (ii) London in the last period for which figures are available. [87781]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on personal debt in the UK. (87781)

    We are unable to provide levels of total personal debt by region. The following table shows estimates for the whole ofthe UK.

End-year
Total personal debt (£ million) Average personal total debt (£)

2005

1,275,740

26,730

Note: For average per head figures, the denominator is population aged 16+.

24 July 2006 : Column 1063W

    The estimates of debt and income are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. Examples of NPISHs are: charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments; Trade Unions; Professional Associations, Political Parties and Religious Organisations, and Sports Clubs and Associations.

    Further data are available from table A64 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904&Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=422

Petrol Additives (Tax Subsidies)

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax subsidies are available for the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether and other oxygenates instead of high aromatic blend stocks as an additive to petrol. [86860]

John Healey: Methyl tertiary butyl ether is liable to duty at the same rate as ultra-low sulphur petrol (currently 47.1 pence per litre).

Another oxygenated fuel, ethyl tertiary butyl ether, (ETBE) can be mixed with petrol for use as a road fuel. In this case, the proportion of the fuel that is made from ETBE attracts the duty rate applicable to bioethanol (27.1 pence per litre).

Planning Policy

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what representations his Department has made on planning policy to the Department of Communities and Local Government or the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the last 12 months; [86838]

(2) how many civil servants in his Department work on planning policy; [86839]

(3) what role his Department plays in the development of land-use planning policy and planning policy guidance. [86840]

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) leads on planning policy. Treasury officials work closely, on an ongoing basis, with the DCLG on land-use planning policy and planning policy guidance issues.

The Housing and Urban Team in the Public Spending Directorate leads on liaising with DCLG on a range of spending and policy issues, including planning policy, it has 14 members of staff. The Treasury also supplies the secretariat for the Barker Review of Land Use Planning. This has six members of staff from the Treasury.

PSA Targets

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many PSA targets set in SR2002 (a) have and (b) have not been achieved. [87458]


24 July 2006 : Column 1064W

Mr. Timms: Departments report on progress against their PSA targets twice yearly in their Departmental and Autumn Performance Reports. It is not possible to provide a full tally due to lags in departmental data and the fact that some targets are still ongoing, with an end date in the future. However, when departments provided summary assessments for a majority of SR2002 targets in their latest Autumn Performance Reports over 80 per cent. of those targets were reported to be met or on course.

Public Relations Companies

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which public affairs and public relations companies (a) his Department and (b) agencies of his Department have used since 1997. [83784]

John Healey: The Treasury and its agencies have reviewed their supplier and expenditure records for the past four financial years and found no suppliers which they know to be public affairs or public relations companies.

Registration On-line Computer Systems

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the delays and backlog resulting from the purchase and installation of the Registration on-line computer system at register offices in England and Wales. [87860]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 24 July 2006:

    The Registrar General has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment he has made of the reasons for the delays and backlog resulting from the purchase and installation of the Registration On-line computer system at register offices in England and Wales. I am replying in her absence. (87860)

    Civil partnership legislation took effect in England and Wales on 5 December 2005 and was available to those wishing to make use of it from that date, without delays. To avoid any risk of delay or inconvenience, Civil Partnerships were initially recorded on a manual system with the Registration On-line (RON) computer system coming into use on 6 March 2006. An exercise to capture details of the manual notices and registrations for ceremonies prior to 6 March, and put them on the RON database, is nearing completion.

    Use of RON for registration of births, still births, and deaths is expected to commence later this year, with marriages following in 2007. This will take account of the experience of using RON to date, and will progressively replace existing systems in Register Offices across England and Wales.

Sir David Varney

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much Sir David Varney is being paid to act as a senior adviser on Transformational Government; and who is meeting the cost; [88214]

(2) whether Sir David Varney will be employed as (a) a civil servant and (b) a special adviser in his role as senior adviser on Transformational Government; [88215]


24 July 2006 : Column 1065W

(3) how many people in the Treasury are working on the Transformational Government project, broken down by grade; and what the total salary cost is. [88217]

John Healey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2006 Budget the appointment ofSir David Varney to advise him on opportunities for transforming the delivery of public services. Details of Sir David's work are set out in “Releasing the Resources to Meet the Challenges Ahead: Value for Money in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review” (Cm 6889). He will report to the Chancellor on his findings in time to inform the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Sir David will work full time as the Chancellor's senior adviser on transformational government until December 2006 and will be employed on civil service pay and conditions. His remuneration will be included in Her Majesty’s Treasury's 2006-07 Resource Accounts.

Sir David's work on transformational government forms part of the work of Her Majesty’s Treasury. No additional staff have been recruited and costs will be met from within existing budgets.

Small Business Investment Companies

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much was spent on the creation of British small business investment companies in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement; [84806]

(2) how many British small business investment companies were created in each year since 2003. [84807]

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.

There is no small business investment company (SBIC) programme in the United Kingdom. The SBIC programme was created in the United States in 1958 and exists to provide equity finance to small businesses in the start-up and early growth stages of their business development.

Enterprise Capital Funds have recently been introduced to the United Kingdom and while based on the SBIC model have significant enhancements. Government investment of up to £106.5 million, subject to legal agreement, in the first six of these funds was announced between March and June 2006. Legal firms are currently being finalised, so no investment has yet been made.

Small Change Big Difference

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1857W, on Small Change Big Difference, what therapies are available to employees of his Department; how many people have made use of them; whether the therapies provided are subsidised by his Department; and what the total cost is to his Department of providing these therapies. [83493]


24 July 2006 : Column 1066W

John Healey: All services are purchased privately by staff. No services are subsidised and there is no cost to the Department in providing them.

Tax Credits

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) individual and (b) late payments of working tax credits were made in each week in March and April 2006, up to the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [64468]

Dawn Primarolo: Individual payments made for each week in March and April are shown in the following table:

Number

March 2006

Week 1

1,900,000

Week 2

3,100,000

Week 3

3,000,000

Week 4

3,300,000

Week 5

3,400,000

April 2006

Week 1

3,150,000

Week 2

3,600,000

Week 3

2,900,000

Week 4

4,300,000


There is no record of payments being made late during those weeks.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the tax credits e-portal was re-opened. [76419]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit e-portal has not yet been re-opened. DWP access to the e-portal was reinstated on 24 April 2006 and the “Do I qualify” element was restored on 31 May 2006.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fraudulent tax credit claims have been made over the telephone since April 2004; and if he will make a statement. [76488]

Dawn Primarolo: A claim for tax credits cannot be made over the telephone.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average payment in family credit, working families tax credit and their successors was in each applicable year at current prices; and what the (a) total expenditure and (b) expenditure net of tax receipts was in each year. [80066]

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the total expenditure and average finalised award for family credit, working families tax credit and their successors since 1991-92.


24 July 2006 : Column 1067W
Expenditure in nominal terms (£ billion) Average award at current prices (£ per family per week)

Family Credit( 1)

1991-92

0.7

36

1992-93

1.0

43

1993-94

1.3

48

1994-95

1.5

50

1995-96

1.8

53

1996-97

2.2

59

1997-98

2.4

61

1998-99

2.5

62

1999-2000

2.0

65

Working Families Tax Credit( 2)

1999-2000

1.1

71

2000-01

4.6

82

2001-02

5.5

86

2002-03

6.3

91

2003-04

0.1

(3)n/a

(1) Excluding disability working allowance. This was phased out between October 1999 and March 2000. (2 )Excluding disabled person’s tax credit. This was phased in between October 1999 and March 2000 and ceased in early April 2003. (3 )Working families tax credits ended 7 April 2003, therefore only small amount of expenditure recorded.

Information on annualised average awards for families benefiting from child and working tax credits in 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in table 1.1 of the ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2003-04’ and ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2004-05’, which is available on the HMRC website at:

    http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

Net expenditure of working families tax credits between 1999 and 2003 are as follows:

£ billion

1999-2000

0.9

2000-01

3.8

2001-02

4.9

2002-03

5.5

2003-04

0.1


Total expenditure of new tax credits for 2003-04 is published in the Department of Inland Revenue Accounts 2003-04, Note 3 of the Trust Statement. The net expenditure for 2004-05 is calculated by removing the negative tax figure published in the PBR 2005 report from the net expenditure figure published in the Department of Inland Revenue Accounts 2004-05, Note 3 of the Trust Statement.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate has been made of the number of multiple separate cases of tax credit claims from the same address; how much fraud has been uncovered; and if he will make a statement; [78406]

(2) what action he has taken to reduce tax credit fraud by screening all multiple tax credit claims from a single address; and if he will make a statement. [81417]


24 July 2006 : Column 1068W

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC have measures in place to tackle such indication of possible fraud. However, it would be inappropriate to disclose detailed information relating to HMRC action to reduce tax credits fraud as to do so could provide assistance to those engaged in criminal activity.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of the ability of the tax credits computer system to recalculate tax credits payments to surviving spouses and families; and if he will make a statement. [81526]

Dawn Primarolo: The tax credit computer does not recalculate tax credits payments in these circumstances. A new claim is made by the surviving partner.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in administering the tax credit system in each year since its inception; and how many hours overtime were paid in each of those years. [81527]

Dawn Primarolo: For the approximate number of staff deployed to tax credits work in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General published on11 July 2006 which is available at http://www.nao.org.uk/home.htm Given that HMRC constantly monitor and balance the needs of their various work areas and deploy their resources accordingly, figures about the number of staff in HMRC who are working on tax credits at any one time can vary.

Separate information relating to the number of staff across HM Revenue and Customs working full-time or part-time in administering tax credits, and information on the number of hours of overtime paid for those staff, is not available.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful organised frauds of the tax credit system since 1 December 2005; and if he will make a statement. [81754]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the HMRC publication “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm and to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, Part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received tax credits while unemployed in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement. [83904]

Dawn Primarolo: Working families tax credit awards, which were payable in 2001-02 and 2002-03, were not available to families who were out of work at the start of the award. Children’s tax credit benefited only taxpayers and therefore were also only available for in-work families. No information is available on the number of families who received working families tax
24 July 2006 : Column 1069W
credit or children’s tax credits that included an adult who was out of work for all or part of the year.

Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the average numbers of out of work families receiving child tax credit in finalised awards, or equivalent support via income support or income based job seekers allowance, are published in “Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05”. This publication, and estimates of the equivalent numbers in provisional awards as at selected dates up to April 2006, are available on the HMRC website at:

    http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

Television Licences

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions took place between his Department and the BBC about the decision not to renew the contract for renewal and purchase of television licences supplied at post offices. [87430]

John Healey: The Treasury has had no discussions with the BBC in relation to the BBC's procurement exercise for its “over-the-counter” TV licensing business.

Temporary Workers

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of workers in each (a) industry sector and (b) occupational group were temporary in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2005; and what each sector’s and group’s share was of the total number of temporary workers in each year. [86546]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the percentage of temporary workers in employment in (a) industry sectors and (b) occupational groups for the years 1997, 2001 and 2005; and what each sector’s and group’s share was of the total number of temporary workers in each of those years. (86546)

    The two tables attached show the available information covering the 12 month periods ending February 1999 and 2001, and December 2005. No comparable information is available for 1997.

    These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.


24 July 2006 : Column 1070W
Table 1: Temporary employees as a percentage of all employees by occupation and industry, 1999, 2001 and 2005—United Kingdom
Twelve months ending: February 1999
Number (Thousand) As percentage of total employees in industry

All employees(1)

(2)

(2)

1 Managers and senior officials

(2)

(2)

2 Professional occupations

(2)

(2)

3 Associate professional and technical

(2)

(2)

4 Administrative and secretarial

(2)

(2)

5 Skilled trades occupations

(2)

(2)

6 Personal service occupations

(2)

(2)

7 Sales and customer service occupations

(2)

(2)

8 Process plant and machine operatives

(2)

(2)

9 Elementary occupations

(2)

(2)

All employees(3)

1,678

7.3

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

20

9.6

C E: Energy and water

28

9.9

D: Manufacturing

213

4.6

F: Construction

79

6.7

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

262

5.7

I: Transport and communication

91

5.9

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

248

7.4

L-N: Public admin education and health

611

9.9

O-Q: Other services

125

10.6


Twelve months ending: February 2001
All employees( 1) Number (Thousand) As percentage of total employees in industry

All employees(1)

(2)

(2)

1 Managers and senior officials

(2)

(2)

2 Professional occupations

(2)

(2)

3 Associate professional and technical

(2)

(2)

4 Administrative and secretarial

(2)

(2)

5 Skilled trades occupations

(2)

(2)

6 Personal service occupations

(2)

(2)

7 Sales and customer service occupations

(2)

(2)

8 Process plant and machine operatives

(2)

(2)

9 Elementary occupations

(2)

(2)

All emolovees(3)

1,616

6.8

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

17

8.3

C E: Energy and water

24

8.3

D: Manufacturing

179

4.2

F: Construction

74

5.9

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

255

5.5

I: Transport and communication

93

5.6

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

230

6.5

L-N: Public admin education and health

616

9.4

O-Q: Other services

124

10.1


24 July 2006 : Column 1071W

Twelve months ending: December 2005
Number (Thousand) As percentage of total employees in occupation/industry

All employees(1)

1,346

5.5

1 Managers and senior officials

55

1.6

2 Professional occupations

269

8.8

3 Associate professional and technical

162

4.8

4 Administrative and secretarial

193

5.7

5 Skilled trades occupations

66

3.2

6 Personal service occupations

165

8.3

7 Sales and customer service occupations

117

5.6

8 Process plant and machine operatives

75

4.1

9 Elementary occupations

241

8.1

All employees(3)

1,346

5.5

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

10

5.5

C E: Energy and water

12

4.8

D: Manufacturing

121

3.5

F: Construction

48

3.6

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

240

5.0

I: Transport and communication

67

4.0

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

175

4.8

L-N: Public admin education and health

574

7.5

O-Q: Other services

96

7.8

(1) Total includes those who did not state their occupation, whereas occupation group percentages exclude them. (2 )Data not available.
(3 )Total includes those whose workplace is outside the UK, or who did not state their industry, whereas industry group percentages exclude them.
Source: ONS: Labour Force Survey Annual datasets


24 July 2006 : Column 1072W
Table 2: Temporary employees by occupation and industry 1999, 2001 and 2005—United Kingdom
February 1999
Twelve months ending: Number (Thousand) As percentage of all temporary employees

All temporary employees(1)

(2)

(2)

1 Managers and senior officials

(2)

(2)

2 Professional occupations

(2)

(2)

3 Associate professional and technical

(2)

(2)

4 Administrative and secretarial

(2)

(2)

5 Skilled trades occupations

(2)

(2)

6 Personal service occupations

(2)

(2)

7 Sales and customer service occupations

(2)

(2)

8 Process plant and machine operatives

(2)

(2)

9 Elementary occupations

(2)

(2)

AH temporary employees(3)

1,678

100.0

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

20

1.2

C E: Energy and water

28

1.6

D: Manufacturing

213

12.7

F: Construction

79

4.7

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

262

15.6

I: Transport and communication

91

5.4

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

248

14.8

L-N: Public admin education and health

611

36.5

O-Q: Other services

125

7.4


February 2002
Twelve months ending: Number (Thousand) As percentage of all temporary employees

All temporary employees(1)

(2)

(2)

1 Managers and senior officials

(2)

(2)

2 Professional occupations

(2)

(2)

3 Associate professional and technical

(2)

(2)

4 Administrative and secretarial

(2)

(2)

5 Skilled trades occupations

(2)

(2)

6 Personal service occupations

(2)

(2)

7 Sales and customer service occupations

(2)

(2)

8 Process plant and machine operatives

(2)

(2)

9 Elementary occupations

(2)

(2)

AH temporary employees(3)

1,616

100.0

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

17

1.1

C E: Energy and water

24

1.5

D: Manufacturing

179

11.1

F: Construction

74

4.6

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

255

15.8

I: Transport and communication

93

5.7

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

230

14.3

L-N: Public admin education and health

616

38.2

O-Q: Other services

124

7.7



24 July 2006 : Column 1073W
December 2005
Twelve months ending: Number (Thousand) As percentage of all temporary employees

All temporary employees(1)

1,346

100.0

1 Managers and senior officials

55

4.1

2 Professional occupations

269

20.0

3 Associate professional and technical

162

12.1

4 Administrative and secretarial

193

14.3

5 Skilled trades occupations

66

4.9

6 Personal service occupations

165

12.2

7 Sales and customer service occupations

117

8.7

8 Process plant and machine operatives

75

5.6

9 Elementary occupations

241

18.0

AH temporary employees(3)

1,346

100.0

A-B: Agriculture and fishing

10

0.7

C E: Energy and water

12

0.9

D: Manufacturing

121

9.0

F: Construction

48

3.6

G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants

240

17.9

I: Transport and communication

67

5.0

J-K: Banking finance and insurance etc

175

13.0

L-N: Public admin education and health

574

42.7

O-Q: Other services

96

7.2

(1) Total includes those who did not state their occupation, whereas occupation group percentages exclude them. (2 )Data not available.
(3 )Total includes those whose workplace is outside the UK, or who did not state their industry, whereas industry group percentages exclude them.
Source: ONS: Labour

Terrorism

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to prevent the financing of terrorism since February 2006; and if he will make a statement. [88095]

Ed Balls: HM Treasury has continued to work closely with other policy departments, law enforcement agencies and international partners in order to better deter, detect and disrupt terrorism and the financing of terrorism.

The Treasury published a progress report on counter-terrorist financing at the pre-Budget report 2005 and a further progress report on activity in this area will be published in the autumn.

Unemployment (Brent, East)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were (a) unemployed and (b) long-term unemployed in (i) Brent, East and (ii) Brent in each year since 1997. [87422]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.


24 July 2006 : Column 1074W

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. The number of unemployed, resident in the Brent East Parliamentary Constituency was provided in Table 1 of an Answer on 11th July 2006 (Hansard column 1726W, reference 79828) up to the 12 months ending December 2004. The number of long-term unemployed was given in Table 3 of the same Answer. Table 1 attached shows more recent information from the APS. Table 2, attached, shows corresponding data for people resident in the London borough of Brent.

    These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

    ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Data for all claimants resident in the Brent East constituency was provided in Table 6 of the above Answer and the number of long-term claimants (over 12 months) was given in Table 8 of the previous Answer. Table 3, attached, shows corresponding data for the London borough of Brent.

Table 1: Number of unemployed persons, aged 16 and over, resident in Brent East Parliamentary constituency
Thousand
12 months ending Number of unemployed Long-term unemployed( 1)

March 2005

3

1

December 2005

3

(2)

(1) Over 12 months. (2) Sample size too small to provide estimate. Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual Population Survey

Table 2: Number of unemployed persons, aged 16 and over, resident in the London borough of Brent
Thousand
12 months ending Number of unemployed Long-term unemployed( 1)

February 1998

15

n/a

February 1999

15

4

February 2000

10

4

February 2001

12

3

February 2002

12

3

February 2003

13

3

February 2004

9

2

March 2005

10

3

December 2005

11

3

(1) Over 12 months. Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution. Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey


24 July 2006 : Column 1075W
Table 3: Claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance resident in the London borough of Brent
All claimants Long-term claimants( 1,2)

1997

12,893

5,200

1998

10,463

3,640

1999

9,080

2,840

2000

7,691

2,235

2001

6,885

1,605

2002

8,046

1,790

2003

8,383

2,065

2004

8,133

2,215

2005

7,680

1,765

(1) Computerised claims only. Dataset rounded to nearest 5 (2) Over 12 months. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data held on NomisÂ(r)

Volunteering

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the contribution to the UK economy of those on benefits who volunteer. [86735]

Dawn Primarolo: No such research has been undertaken. However, the Government recognises the potential impact of volunteering on helping benefit claimants return to work, and has taken a numberof steps to facilitate volunteering. The Russell Commission looked at the experiences of young volunteers in receipt of benefits, and put forward a number of recommendations, as well as publishing the Guide to Volunteering on Benefits.

Whole of Government Accounts Process

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the report on the dry run of the Whole of Government Accounts process for 2005-06. [88090]

Mr. Timms: In December 2005, HM Treasury published a report entitled ‘Delivering the benefits of accruals accounting for the whole public sector’. Within this document a full account was given of the Whole of Government process to date and the intended 2005-06 dry run. There is no current intention to publish any further account of the 2005-06 Whole of Government dry run process.

Health

Abortion

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of abortions were performed on pregnancies of (a) under nine weeks, (b) nine to 12 weeks, (c) 13 to 16 weeks, (d) 17 to 19 weeks, (e) 20 to 23 weeks and (f) 24 weeks and over duration in 2005. [85147]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the following table:


24 July 2006 : Column 1076W
Abortions, residents: percentages by gestation, England and Wales, 2005
Gestation Percentage

Under 9 weeks

53.6

9 to 12 weeks

35.7

13 to 16 weeks

7.2

17 to 19 weeks

2.1

20 to 23 weeks

1.3

24 weeks and over

0.1

Total abortions

100


Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have been performed under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 as amended by section 34 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and how many and what proportion were performed (a) in an emergency to save the life of the mother and (b) in cases of rape. [85170]

Caroline Flint: There were 5.3 million (5,289,701) abortions performed in England and Wales on residents between 1968 and 2005. In the period between 1968 and 2002, 410 were performed under Section 1(4), in an emergency to save the life of the mother. The proportion performed in cases of rape is not collected.

    Notes:

    We are unable to provide these data for confidentiality reasons as the totals for the three years 2003-05 are less than 10 and have not previously been published. It is intended that the Department will publish this information in a 10-year table (2003 to 2012) if numbers reach a total of 10 or more.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of abortions was in 2005 at (a) 26 weeks and (b) each week after the 26th, broken down by grounds for termination. [85171]

Caroline Flint: We are unable to provide these data for confidentiality reasons as set out in Statistical Bulletin 2006-01, “Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2005”; copies of which are available from the Library and also on the Department's website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/68/59/04136859.pdf.

Agenda for Change

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clerical and administrative staff have been allocated lower pay bands as a result of Agenda for Change. [84877]

Ms Rosie Winterton: From the available information on the computer aided job evaluation system it would suggest that the majority administrative and clerical posts are matching national profiles across bands one to five. This cannot readily be compared to the previous Whitley system.

Alcohol-related Conditions

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) under and (b) over the age of 18 years were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related
24 July 2006 : Column 1077W
problem in each year since 1997 for which figures are available, broken down by (i) region, (ii) health authority and (iii) primary care trust. [84911]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested. However, data is
24 July 2006 : Column 1078W
provided in the following table for patients admitted to hospital for alcohol-related problems broken down by strategic health authority (SHA) for 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Count of patients admitted to hospital for alcohol-related conditions by region, SHA and age (ICD10 codes F10,K70,T51) Data for all NHS hospitals in England, data years 2003-04, 2004-05
2004-05 2003-04
Government office region SHA under 18 18 and over under 18 18 and over

East of England

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

263

4,558

251

4,381

East of England

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

170

2,323

170

1,842

East of England

Essex

118

2,552

103

2,099

London

North West London

107

3,953

107

3,596

London

North Central London

91

2,683

75

2,275

London

North East London

77

2,930

109

2,916

London

South East London

130

3,812

121

3,131

South East

South West London

156

2,584

162

2,073

North East

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear

306

6,032

246

5,512

North East

County Durham and Tees Valley

280

4,108

247

3,481

Yorkshire and The Humber

North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire

352

4,322

348

3,837

Yorkshire and The Humber

West Yorkshire

283

5,447

293

4,828

Yorkshire and The Humber

South Yorkshire

194

3,255

164

2,885

North West

Cumbria and Lancashire

447

6,763

380

6,130

North West

Greater Manchester

642

10,707

519

8,670

North West

Cheshire and Merseyside

546

11,228

540

10,496

South East

Thames Valley

231

3,677

201

3,050

South East

Hampshire and Isle of Wight

279

3,722

260

3,392

South East

Kent and Medway

226

3,049

191

2,650

South East

Surrey and Sussex

367

5,585

340

4,677

South West

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

281

5,687

264

4,402

South West

South West Peninsula

286

4,321

296

4,113

South West

Dorset and Somerset

159

2,643

145

2,216

East Midlands

Trent

399

6,897

356

6,233

East Midlands

Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland

139

2,964

131

2,530

West Midlands

Shropshire and Staffordshire

237

2,958

237

2,800

West Midlands

Birmingham and the Black Country

311

6,491

324

5,945

West Midlands

West Midlands South

216

2,994

222

2,746

Other/unknown

133

4,995

107

3,758

Notes:
Ungrossed Data
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data that is the data is ungrossed.
Patient counts
Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HES1D. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID must erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell.
ICD10 codes used: F10, T51, K70 - Alcohol related admissions.
Data has been provided for 2004-05 and 2003-04 only as data from earlier years is not comparable as a time series in the requested format due to boundary changes of SHA's.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Alzheimer's Disease

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence of the opinion of health professionals on the efficacy of Alzheimer drugs when drawing up its recommendations. [85212]

Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) follows a standard process when developing its guidance. This process encourages bodies representing health professionals to register as consultees. Consultees can submit written evidence, comment on the appraisal documents and appeal against the appraisal committee's final recommendations. All NICE guidance is subject to public consultation on the NICE website and any clinician can log on and give their comments in this way. Two clinical experts nominated by the consultee organisations give their expert personal view by attending the initial appraisal committee discussion
24 July 2006 : Column 1079W
and/or providing written evidence to the committee. Evidence submitted by health professional groups and clinical experts is published on the NICE website throughout the guidance development process.

Assisted Reproductive Technology

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies have been born in each London borough through assisted reproductive technology in each year since 2000. [87116]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does collect data on live births reported to it by HFEA licensed clinics resulting from treatment cycles involving in vitro fertilisation and donor insemination. Data for London are shown in the table.

Live births resulting from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and donor insemination (DI) treatment cycles from in London from 2000-04
District—London( 1)

2000

3,115

2001

3,197

2002

2,838

2003

3,359

2004(2)

3,205

(1) The table identifies the total number of babies born according to their date of birth. HFEA has used the Patients Guide To Infertility definition of regions, which relates to the location in which the IVF or DI treatment took place. This is not necessarily the location of the birth or the place of residence of the patient.
(2) 2004 is the most recent year for which information is available.
Source:
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Audiology Services

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients within the Coastal primary care trust and East Kent hospital trust areas are awaiting (a) assessment and (b) fitting of hearing aids for the first time. [87266]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the East Kent hospital trust will switch to the exclusive fitting of digital hearing aids. [87267]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many audiology posts are unfilled in England. [87268]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The March 2005 vacancy survey recorded 70 vacancies for audiologists which remained unfilled after three months or more in England. This was a three-month vacancy rate of4.8 per cent.


24 July 2006 : Column 1080W

The results of the 2006 vacancy survey are due to be published on the 27 July 2006.

Blood Pressure/Diabetes

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to inform the South Asian community about (a) high blood pressure and (b) diabetes. [84432]

Caroline Flint: The White Papers, “Choosing Health” and “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say”, set out a range of action to improve health and tackle health inequalities that can lead to ill health. General Government action promoting a balanced diet and increased physical activity helps to address the risk factors that may lead to high blood pressure and diabetes. In particular, tackling obesity and action to reduce the intake of salt, fat and sugar can help reduce these risks.

Specific action to inform the south Asian community about high blood pressure and diabetes includes the self-assessment Life Check, supporting individuals and communities at high risk of developing diabetes to get involved in more healthy lifestyles and environments. A Healthy Living DVD was launched recently to help raise awareness of and address potential inequalities in the identification and treatment of people from the Asian population with diabetes. The Department is also funding the Stroke Association to promote a blood pressure awareness campaign within African Caribbean and south Asian communities in England through relevant media, translated materials and pressure testing stations in community settings.

Brachytherapy

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether her Department has issued guidelines to primary care trusts on the funding of brachytherapy; [86456]

(2) what assessment she has made of the availability of brachytherapy on the NHS in (a) the South East and (b) England. [86457]

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the use of brachytherapy; and if she will make a statement. [87681]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department issued ‘Advice on the Development of Permanent Seed Implant Brachytherapy Services (low dose brachytherapy) for Localised Prostate Cancer in England’ for consultation in summer 2005. The consultation document can be found on the Department’s website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/ClosedConsultations.

The advice includes estimated costs for introducing and running a low dose rate prostate brachytherapy service but does not address sources of funding. It also provides the location of the 14 national health service prostate brachytherapy centres in England at that time. The framework is being finalised and will be published later in the year.


24 July 2006 : Column 1081W

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has also produced interventional procedures guidance to the NHS on the use of brachytherapy for prostate cancer and cervical cancer. The guidance confirms that these procedures are safe for use.

The Royal College of Radiologists is also producing a report on the development of brachytherapy services in general. This is due to be published in the autumn.

Breastfeeding

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of her Department’s policy on breastfeeding when assessing whether to allow the Patch infant formula trial in NHS hospitals. [85736]

Caroline Flint: The Department’s policy on the governance of research is set out in the research governance framework for health and social care (second edition, April 2005), a statement of standards issued by the Secretary of State for Health. Any research study involving national health service patients, their organs, tissues or data or the use of NHS premises or facilities has to have the favourable opinion of a NHS research ethics committee.

In their decision-making, research ethics committees are independent from political, institutional, profession-related and market influences. They reach an opinion on the basis of the ethical issues and not Government policy. They keep their own records. The Department cannot comment on their deliberations in a particular case.

In addition, the permission of each organisation where the research takes place is required. The research governance framework for health and social care provides guidance on the issues they have to take into consideration.

Capital Shifting

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms there are by which NHS organisations can give money to other NHS organisations; and what estimate she has made of capital shifting within the NHS in each month of 2006. [85624]

Andy Burnham: The Department uses the process of inter authority transfers (IATs) to effect revenue and capital resource and cash transfers between national health service organisations during a financial year. These adjustments can be requested on a monthly basis as part of the NHS financial monitoring arrangements and must be agreed by both parties to the transfer and the Department.

The process is also used to transfer funds from primary care trusts to the strategic health authority revenue reserves.

The Department does not collect data on estimates, profiled by month, for individual revenue and capital IATs.

Carr Hill Formula Review

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the recommendations made by the
24 July 2006 : Column 1082W
review of the Carr Hill formula to be published; and if she will make a statement on the conclusions of the first phase of the review. [84011]

Caroline Flint: It is anticipated that the group tasked with the review of general medical services funding will report on its findings and recommendations during 2006-07.

The first phase of the review is now complete. This involved initial assessment of all the factors in the existing formula and of factors, which could be included in a revised formula. The group will continue to carry out detailed modelling to enable a better understanding of the impact of a new formula at different population levels and for different types of practices.

No conclusions have yet been reached by the group.

Child Vaccinations

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility general practitioners have to inform parents and guardians that children are due for vaccination. [85635]

Caroline Flint: Under the terms of their contract, general practitioners are required to provide essential services to their patients—which includes the provision of health promotion advice, for example on vaccinations and immunisations. Practices may also choose to provide childhood immunisations themselves under a directed enhanced service. This requires practices to offer recommended immunisations to children on its childhood immunisation scheme register and information to parents or guardians about its immunisation programme.

Clinical Care (Peter Halley)

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she made of clinical care following the death of Peter Halley of Southend-on-Sea at Southend hospital on 14 May 2004; and what existing policies were amended as a result. [87946]

Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. The local national health service owes a duty of care to any patient it treats.

Community Care

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to NHS foundation trusts on provision of practical and clinically safe medical care in a community setting. [85094]

Ms Rosie Winterton: National health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) are bound to comply with national health care standards and targets under their terms of authorisation (terms and conditions of operation) and are accountable to Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator
24 July 2006 : Column 1083W
of NHS foundation trusts) for complying with the authorisation. Monitor has powers of intervention in cases of significant failure.

The Healthcare Commission (the statutory name of which is the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection) assesses and inspects NHSFTs’ performance against standards and targets in the same way as for NHS trusts. National Service Frameworks and guidance by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence are integral to health care standards.

Community Hospitals

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the full guidance following her letter sent in February to strategic health authorities identifying the criteria for enhancing the role of community hospitals for revenue purposes following the recent capital announcement. [84160]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The further guidance identified in the letter sent to strategic health authorities on 16 February entitled ‘Moving care closer to home’ was published on 5 July 2006. The publication is titled ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Community: investing in the future of community hospitals and services’ and is available in the Library and on the Department’s website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/69/32/04136932.pdf

Community Hospitals

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recent (a) letters and (b) representations her Department has received in relation to (i) Ludlow Community Hospital and (ii) Bishop’s Castle Community Hospital in Shropshire. [85286]

Caroline Flint: The Department has received a large number of letters from both hon. Members and members of the public about the review of services in Shropshire, including letters about Ludlow Community Hospital and Bishop’s Castle Community Hospital. An accurate figure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has also received a petition in relation to Ludlow Community Hospital.

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate her Department has made of the number of community hospital beds in the Shropshire Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997; [85287]

(2) what estimate her Department has made of the number of community hospital beds likely to be needed in (a) the area of South Shropshire district council and (b) the area of Bridgnorth district council over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years. [85289]

Andy Burnham: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning services, including community beds and community hospital facilities, to meet the health needs of their local population. Shropshire County PCT and Telford and Wrekin PCT
24 July 2006 : Column 1084W
are currently consulting on proposed changes to community hospitals across Shropshire.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of community hospital beds in the Cotswolds and Vale Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997. [85428]

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 826, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals have (a) opened and (b) closed in Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Strategic Health Authority area since 1997; and for how many possible closure is being considered. [85434]

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of community hospital beds in Kennet and North Wiltshire primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [85496]

Andy Burnham: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with their strategic health authorities to make an assessment of the local health service provision.

Correspondence

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North, of 13 June 2006, regarding a constituent. [87165]

Andy Burnham: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 21 July 2006.

Crohn's Disease

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease; what NHS funds are set aside to help treat those suffering from the disease; and what public funds have been allocated to help finance research into developing a DNA Crohn’s disease vaccine. [87071]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Information on the number of people diagnosed with Crohn's disease is not collected. NHS funds are not specifically set aside for the treatment of individual diseases.

No public funds have been allocated to finance research into developing a DNA Crohn’s disease vaccine. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC allocates
24 July 2006 : Column 1085W
research funding based on the merit of the individual research proposals. In 2003-04 the MRC spend on research relevant to inflammatory bowel diseases (which includes Crohn’s disease) amounted to£1.6 million.

Dentistry

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the quality of dental appliances entering the UK from (i) EU countries and (ii) countries outside the EU; and if she will make a statement. [85927]

Andy Burnham: No research has been commissioned on the quality of dental appliances entering the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) or non-EU countries. All dental appliances being placed on the UK market must meet the safety and quality requirements in the Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EC.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Ruislip-Northwood constituency have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997. [86479]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Data on the opening and closure of general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) practices is not collected centrally. However, the number of practice addresses is available.

The number of GDS and PDS dental practices in Ruislip-Northwood constituency is shown in the table.

General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of GDS or PDS dental practice addresses in Ruislip-Northwood constituency as at 31 March each year
Number

1997

23

2006

23

Notes:
1. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much national health service treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the primary care trust. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual GDS or PDS dentists is not centrally available.
2. Areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory.
3. Data have been supplied by the Information Centre for health and social care.
Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care
NHS Business Services Authority

Diagnostic Tests

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to expand the choice available to patients over the provider of diagnostic tests which need to be completed as part of the patient’s care pathway. [86213]

Andy Burnham: From 30 April 2006, patients awaiting diagnostic imaging tests who do not have an appointment scheduled within 20 weeks are being offered the choice of having their scan at another
24 July 2006 : Column 1086W
provider within a maximum of 20 weeks. From April 2007, patients who do not have an appointment scheduled within 13 weeks will be offered the choice of having their scan at another provider within a maximum of 13 weeks. Speeding up access to diagnostic imaging tests is a key element of the drive to reduce overall access time for the benefit of patients and central to delivering an 18-week referral to treatment patient pathway by 2008.

In the autumn, we will publish a framework setting out the next steps for choice policy. The framework will include policy guidance for choice of any provider in elective care for 2008. As part of the policy development for this we are scoping the opportunities to increase choice for patients along the elective care pathway, including in diagnostics. The framework will also include our priorities for extending choice beyond elective care into other service areas.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the total number of each type of diagnostic test carried out in a year. [86214]

Andy Burnham: Data on the total number of each type of diagnostic test carried out in a year is not centrally collected. However, it is estimated that around 630 million diagnostic tests are carried out each year for national health service patients.

Type Number

Imaging

Over 30 million tests

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerised tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, ultrasound, plain film, X-ray, dual energy X-ray absortiometry (DEXA) and other imaging modalities

Endoscopy

Circa 1.1 million tests

Internal investigations using scopes

Physiological measurement

Up to 9 million tests

Over 200 tests across cardiology, neurophysiology, audiology, urology, ophthalmic vision science, vascular technology, respiratory physiology and gastrointestinal physiology

Pathology

Circa 600 million tests

Tests on blood and tissues, carried out in four main disciplines (histopathology, microbiology, haematology, biochemistry)


Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) commissioners and (b) providers have responsibility for the reduction of diagnostic waiting times in order to achieve the 18-week waiting time target. [86215]

Andy Burnham: Delivery of the 18-week patient pathway will be led by primary care trusts as commissioners of care for their local patients. All organisations delivering care along the pathway have a responsibility to ensure that the patient does not wait
24 July 2006 : Column 1087W
more than 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to hospital treatment. This includes providers of diagnostic services.

Diet

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the multiple traffic light system for nutrients when dealing with portions of food on the basis of levels per 100 g. [83889]

Caroline Flint: The basis for the traffic light colour coding recommended by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) reflects expert advice on the most appropriate criteria for a signposting scheme which is intend to help consumers to make healthier choices. It incorporates a per 100 g element and a per portion element for food sold in large portion sizes. In addition, the FSA recommends that traffic light colour coded signposts declares information on the levels of nutrients in a manufacturer’ recommended serving.

District Community Nursing

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district community nurses are employed by the South East London Strategic Health Authority. [81947]

Ms Rosie Winterton: South East London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) ceased to exist on 30 June 2006 but at 30 September 2005 568 community district nurses were employed by primary care trusts in its area. National health service London was established on1 July 2006 as the SHA for London.

Doctor Registration

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have been struck off in each health care trust in each of the last five years; and what the reason was in each case. [87309]

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect this information centrally, and is not directly involved in the disciplining of individual doctors. Decisions about whether a doctor should be struck off the register are a matter for the General Medical Council.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will instruct primary care trusts (a) to withdraw from contracts with Air Products for the supply of domiciliary oxygen and (b) to take steps to ensure a reliable supply of domiciliary oxygen to patients. [86078]

Andy Burnham: Since the start of a six-month transition programme on 1 February 2006, we have been working with primary care trusts to transfer patients to new service suppliers, including Air Products. This includes action to monitor closely each
24 July 2006 : Column 1088W
supplier’s capacity to deliver the required standard of service to all patients using oxygen therapy in the home. There is continuous assessment of suppliers with regular meetings to discuss suppliers’ reports on progress and action to tackle emerging issues.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the expected annual change in costs is of providing domiciliary oxygen services before and after the introduction of the new contract; [82544]

(2) what the cost has been of supplying domiciliary oxygen services in each of the last 12 months. [82545]

Andy Burnham: In 2004-05 the last full financial year of providing the service under former arrangements, the cost of providing domiciliary oxygen services was £32,809,524. It is not possible to make a direct comparison in the costs of these arrangements with the arrangements supporting service delivery before that date, as the costs are calculated on a differentbasis. Under the new arrangements, which began on1 February 2006, the annual cost will reflect the regional contract per diem prices in the 10 oxygen service regions in England and local patterns in ordering these services. The full cost of the service for 2005-06 is not yet available and these will include costs associated with the introduction of the new arrangements on 1 February 2006. The first full year under the new service arrangement will be 2006-07 and we are only three months into the current financial year. In addition, in many parts of the country, primary care trusts have continued to work with local pharmacists to maintain a cylinder service in parallel with the new arrangements to safeguard continuity of supply to patients during action to transfer all patients to the new suppliers.

However, the cost of providing the domiciliary oxygen services in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available are as follows:

2005-06
Total (£000)

April(1)

7,048

May

1,818

June

4,491

July

4,601

August

4,705

September(1)

7,761

October

1,841

November

5,048

December(1)

7,844

January

1,953

February

4,842

March

5,725

57,677

(1) In some calendar months there are two payment dates as payments are made on the 1(st) of the month, unless this falls on a weekend or a bank holiday—in which case the payment in made earlier. Only 12 payments can be made in one financial year.

Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received from patients who have experienced difficulties with supplies of oxygen for home oxygen therapy. [R] [83991]


24 July 2006 : Column 1089W

Andy Burnham: Since the introduction of the new contractual arrangements of domiciliary oxygen supply on the 1 February 2006, through to 19 July 2006, the Department has received 241 written representations concerned with this service.

Drug and Alcohol Dependency

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on tackling (a) drug and (b) alcohol dependency in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in the last period for which figures are available; what these figures represent per head of population in each case; and if she will make a statement. [85878]

Caroline Flint: Drugs funding is issued on a drug action team (DAT) basis, which does not allow us to identify the split in funding between rural and non-rural areas. The 2006-07 pooled drug treatment budget, allocated at DAT level is shown in the table. Mainstream investment by primary care trusts and local authorities in drug treatment is additional to this and is estimated nationally at £212(1) million in 2006-07.

Alcohol funding is entirely from national health service mainstream budgets which means we are unable to identify the split between rural and non-rural areas.

    (1) Based on 2 per cent. inflation increase.


24 July 2006 : Column 1090W

24 July 2006 : Column 1091W

24 July 2006 : Column 1092W
Pooled drug treatment budget channelled through primary care trust 2006-07
Region DAT code DAT £

EA

G01B

Bedfordshire

1,690,725

EA

G03B

Cambridgeshire

2,366,762

EA

G05B

Essex

5,583,480

EA

G08B

Hertfordshire

4,794,280

EA

G02B

Luton

1,630,740

EA

G09B

Norfolk

4,199,065

EA

G04B

Peterborough

1,195,081

EA

G06B

Southend-on-Sea

1,035,701

EA

G10B

Suffolk

3,091,336

EA

G07B

Thurrock

789,010

EM

E05B

Derby

1,914,109

EM

E04B

Derbyshire

3,787,185

EM

E02B

Leicester

3,201,533

EM

E01B

Leicestershire

2,403,356

EM

E08B

Lincolnshire

2,514,788

EM

E09B

Northamptonshire

3,240,307

EM

E07B

Nottingham

3,644,663

EM

E06B

Nottinghamshire

4,274,000

EM

E03B

Rutland

55,526

LO

H01B

Barking and Dagenham

1,571,646

LO

H12B

Barnet

1,900,598

LO

H13B

Bexley

1,165,192

LO

H14B

Brent

3,300,438

LO

H15B

Bromley

1,405,345

LO

H03B

Camden

3,593,278

LO

H05B

City of London

57,317

LO

H16B

Croydon

2,600,768

LO

H17B

Ealing

3,006,747

LO

H18B

Enfield

2,512,926

LO

H19B

Greenwich

2,866,297

LO

H06B

Hackney

4,703,987

LO

H20B

Hammersmith and Fulham

2,356,354

LO

H21B

Haringey

3,671,890

LO

H31B

Harrow

1,115,367

LO

H02B

Havering

1,119,895

LO

H32B

Hillingdon

1,417,793

LO

H33B

Hounslow

1,500,309

LO

H04B

Islington

4,136,427

LO

H22B

Kensington and Chelsea

2,519,051

LO

H23B

Kingston upon Thames

893,679

LO

H07B

Lambeth

5,487,766

LO

H08B

Lewisham

4,217,134

LO

H24B

Merton

1,291,259

LO

H25B

Newham

5,172,481

LO

H10B

Redbridge

1,604,249

LO

H26B

Richmond upon Thames

919,246

LO

H09B

Southwark

5,453,924

LO

H27B

Sutton

856,408

LO

H28B

Tower Hamlets

4,584,339

LO

H11B

Waltham Forest

2,457,285

LO

H29B

Wandsworth

2,884,696

LO

H30B

Westminster

3,719,568

NE

A02B

County Durham

3,608,493

NE

A01B

Darlington

805,550

NE

A09B

Gateshead

1,520,801

NE

A03B

Hartlepool

921,121

NE

A05B

Middlesbrough

1,959,141

NE

A07B

Newcastle upon Tyne

3,078,651

NE

A08B

North Tyneside

1,617,587

NE

A10B

Northumberland

2,011,613

NE

A04B

Redcar and Cleveland

1,369,703

NE

A11B

South Tyneside

1,947,040

NE

A06B

Stockton-on-Tees

1,739,089

NE

A12B

Sunderland

2,879,787

NW

B03B

Blackburn with Darwen

1,087,442

NW

B04B

Blackpool

1,077,805

NW

B14B

Bolton

1,454,353

NW

B15B

Bury

777,816

NW

B20B

Cheshire

2,821,277

NW

B16B

Cumbria

2,814,650

NW

B08B

Halton

1,167,327

NW

B11B

Knowsley

2,224,471

NW

B05B

Lancashire

6,170,895

NW

B17B

Liverpool

7,182,848

NW

B18B

Manchester

6,868,189

NW

B13B

Oldham

1,533,187

NW

B09B

Rochdale

1,421,395

NW

B01B

Salford

1,930,717

NW

B19B

Sefton

2,115,704

NW

B10B

St. Helens

1,461,782

NW

B21B

Stockport

1,177,446

NW

B12B

Tameside

1,326,067

NW

B02B

Trafford

1,197,122

NW

B07B

Warrington

895,860

NW

B22B

Wigan

1,883,045

NW

B06B

Wirral

2,670,720

SE

J01B

Bracknell Forest

384,072

SE

J10B

Brighton and Hove

1,862,675

SE

J07B

Buckinghamshire

1,809,737

SE

J11B

East Sussex

1,808,113

SE

J15B

Hampshire

4,808,456

SE

J18B

Isle of Wight

849,622

SE

J13B

Kent

6,881,667

SE

J14B

Medway towns

1,615,355

SE

J08B

Milton Keynes

1,170,969

SE

J09B

Oxfordshire

3,448,552

SE

J16B

Portsmouth

1,462,012

SE

J02B

Reading

1,135,025

SE

J03B

Slough

1,044,564

SE

J17B

Southampton

1,702,815

SE

J19B

Surrey

3,183,674

SE

J04B

West Berkshire

429,361

SE

J12B

West Sussex

2,751,411

SE

J05B

Windsor and Maidenhead

538,700

SE

J06B

Wokingham

395,037

SW

K01B

Bath and North East Somerset

636,374

SW

K06B

Bournemouth

1,154,957

SW

K02B

Bristol

3,190,237

SW

K13B

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

2,822,297

SW

K08B

Devon

2,871,469

SW

K05B

Dorset

1,190,218

SW

K14B

Gloucestershire

2,659,287

SW

K04B

North Somerset

635,586

SW

K09B

Plymouth

1,736,978

SW

K07B

Poole

449,922

SW

K15B

Somerset

1,883,301

SW

K03B

South Gloucestershire

714,841

SW

K11B

Swindon

1,069,748

SW

K10B

Torbay

864,370

SW

K12B

Wiltshire

1,612,743

WM

F05B

Birmingham

12,950,880

WM

F06B

Coventry

2,679,926

WM

F07B

Dudley

2,217,683

WM

F08B

Herefordshire

743,368

WM

F09B

Sandwell

2,950,700

WM

F01B

Shropshire

1,208,071

WM

F10B

Solihull

1,019,774

WM

F03B

Staffordshire

3,772,829

WM

F04B

Stoke-on-Trent

1,713,917

WM

F02B

Telford and Wrekin

1,101,731

WM

F11B

Walsall

2,173,982

WM

F12B

Warwickshire

2,085,893

WM

F13B

Wolverhampton

2,636,078

WM

F14B

Worcestershire

2,355,456

YH

D09B

Barnsley

1,469,814

YH

D13B

Bradford

4,137,436

YH

D03B

Calderdale

1,296,361

YH

D14B

Doncaster

2,251,146

YH

D02B

East Riding of Yorkshire

1,507,417

YH

D01B

Kingston upon Hull

3,476,486

YH

D04B

Kirklees

2,605,185

YH

D12B

Leeds

5,900,475

YH

D08B

North East Lincolnshire

1,489,380

YH

D07B

North Lincolnshire

945,794

YH

D05B

North Yorkshire

2,400,559

YH

D15B

Rotherham

1,991,867

YH

D11B

Sheffield

4,793,764

YH

D10B

Wakefield

2,124,207

YH

D06B

York

1,031,677

350,000,000


Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas with (i) drug and (ii) alcohol dependency (A) in absolute terms and (B) per head of population; and if she will make a statement. [85881]

Caroline Flint: The Department’s 2004 alcohol needs assessment research project is the first alcohol needs assessment in England conducted on a national scale, and reports there are 1.1 million people in England who meet the criteria of alcohol dependence. We are unable to supply a breakdown of rural and non-rural areas, however regional breakdown is shown intable 1.

Table 1
Region Total

North East

83,356

North West

145,054

Yorkshire and Humber

163,889

East Midlands

42,656

West Midlands

126,658

East of England

95,808

London

217,429

South East

183,611

South West

95,257

Total for England

1,132,074


The Department does not hold data for the numbers of those with a drug dependency in the format requested but we can provide the following data on the prevalence of drug dependence.

Data on drug dependence is available from the survey Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults (aged 16 to 74) Living in Private Households (in Great Britain) carried out in 2000, by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

We are unable to break down the prevalence by rural or non-rural areas, however the latest data we have available from the ONS survey is shown in table 2. This provides the prevalence of drug dependence of adults aged 16-74 by NHS regional office area, based on responses to five questions, about drug use in the year prior to interview.


24 July 2006 : Column 1093W

24 July 2006 : Column 1094W

24 July 2006 : Column 1095W

24 July 2006 : Column 1096W
Table 2: Prevalence of drug dependence of adults( 1) , by NHS regional office area and sex (rate per thousand population), 2000
Rate per thousand in past year
Northern and Yorkshire Trent West Midlands North West Eastern London South East South West England

Women

Dependence on:

Cannabis

18

4

1

14

24

46

13

1

16

Amphetamines

1

2

4

5

2

2

Cocaine

1

4

1

1

1

Crack

1

2

0

Ecstasy

5

1

9

2

2

Heroin/Methadone

1

4

3

1

1

Tranquillisers

2

2

4

3

4

3

3

3

Volatile substances

Cannabis only

17

1

14

16

43

11

1

14

Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence

7

10

10

12

7

5

4

7

Any drug dependence

24

10

1

25

27

50

16

5

21

Bases

528

414

405

559

435

490

722

432

3,985

Men

Dependence on:

Cannabis

31

32

30

68

27

37

58

51

43

Amphetamines

7

2

1

1

13

8

5

Cocaine

8

13

4

7

2

4

Crack

7

4

2

2

Ecstasy

3

10

10

12

4

5

17

9

9

Heroin/Methadone

1

2

7

4

4

2

Tranquillisers

1

7

4

2

Volatile substances

Cannabis only

22

27

22

54

23

33

41

39

34

Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence

13

12

18

20

19

19

23

11

17

Any drug dependence

34

39

40

74

41

52

65

51

51

Bases

430

332

333

427

388

385

578

356

3,229

All adults

Dependence on:

Cannabis

25

18

16

41

26

41

36

25

30

Amphetamines

4

1

1

3

3

7

5

3

Cocaine

1

4

2

7

3

4

1

3

Crack

1

3

3

1

1

Ecstasy

4

6

5

6

7

4

9

5

6

Heroin/Methadone

1

3

3

3

2

1

2

Tranquillisers

2

1

6

1

4

2

1

2

Volatile substances

Cannabis only

19

13

12

34

19

38

26

20

24

Other drug(s) with or without cannabis dependence

10

11

9

15

15

13

14

7

12

Any drug dependence

29

24

21

49

34

51

41

27

36

Bases

958

746

738

986

823

875

1,300

788

7,214

‘—’denotes no cases
0 denotes values less than 0.5 per cent.
(1) Adults aged 16-74
Note:
The sample for England has been subdivided into eight NHS regional office areas, which should not be mistaken for the current Government office region structure. The sample sizes in a number of regions are quite small and there was differential non-response between regions.
Source:
Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000. Office for National Statistics carried out on behalf of Department of Health, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales.

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why her Department is not renewing its contract to provide the journal Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin to doctors and therapeutic advisers in England. [73867]

Andy Burnham [holding answer 5 June 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley), on5 June 2006, Official Report, column 366W.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate has been made of the number of local NHS organisations which will bulk subscribe to the Drugs and Therapeutic Bulletin following the ending of the NHS-wide subscription; [86770]

(2) what guidance she plans to issue to NHS managers responsible for deciding whether to purchase a bulk subscription to the Drugs and Therapeutic Bulletin for their local NHS organisation. [86771]

Andy Burnham: The Department has made no such estimate and has no plans to issue guidance to the national health service. I understand that Which? Limited, the publishers of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin are examining a range of possible future subscription arrangements.

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust

Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial out-turn of the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust was in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [85366]

Caroline Flint: The following table provides the financial outturn of the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust since 1999 to 2004-05.The first available data for this trust is for 1999-2000.

£000

1999-2000

-1,197

2000-01

601

2001-02

600

2002-03

-11,371

2003-04

65

2004-05

453

Source:
Audited summarisation schedules of:
East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust (1999-2000 to 2004-05)
Provisional outturn for East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust (2005-06)

Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments central Government made to East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust for 2005-06; whether there were payments that were undertaken to be made but were not made; what payments are planned for 2006-07; and if she will make a statement. [85369]

Caroline Flint: Details of the payments made by central Government to East Kent Hospitals National Health Service Trust during 2005-06 and 2006-07 is available in the Library.

Public dividend capital (PDC) totalling £25,160,000 was issued to East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust in 2005-06. Of this, £22,160,000 was issued on a permanent basis, £3,000 on a temporary basis. The temporary PDC was repaid in year. To date no PDC has been issued to the trust in 2006-07.

Echo-cardiogram

Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time for an echo-cardiogram was in Croydon in the last period for which figures are available; and how many such procedures have been carried out in the last 12 months. [84666]

Andy Burnham: This information is not available in the format requested.

E-coli

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of e-coli were recorded in each London borough in each of the last five years. [85952]

Caroline Flint: Although food poisoning is notifiable, there is no specific requirement to identify the organism that is involved.

The numbers of confirmed cases of E.coli 0157 received from laboratories in the London health region between 2002 and 2005 are shown in the table(1).

    (1) Before 2002, data collection was carried out using different geographical boundaries and are not therefore included.

Number of confirmed cases of E.coli 0157

2002

54

2003

32

2004

37

2005

77

2006 (to 10 July)

50

Source:
Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Colindale

Data shown are for full years between 2002 and 20051. Also shown are provisional numbers of isolates that were received up to 10 July 2006.


24 July 2006 : Column 1097W

Data on laboratory confirmed cases are not collected by London borough. Patients may be resident in one borough, whereas the hospital from which their isolate is received may be in another.

Elective Acute Procedures

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what (a) targets, (b) instructions and (c) guidance have been set for primary care trusts in respect of the (i) type and (ii) proportion of elective acute procedures which should be procured from the independent sector; [87661]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 18 July to question 81980, on elective procedures, what (a) approach and (b) actions her Department will take in respect of those trusts which fail to secure or secure a very small proportion of their elective procedures through the independent sector. [88272]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no instructions or targets for the type or proportion of activity that primary care trusts (PCTs) must secure through the independent sector, so there is no question of PCTs failing to secure a given level of provision.

In April 2006, the Department published “Choice at Referral: Guidance Framework for 2006-07”, which made clear that PCTs should offer patients referred for elective care the choice of at least four locally commissioned providers, together with appropriate national health service foundation trusts and nationally procured independent sector treatment centres.

Emergency Admissions

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency admissions to hospital there were in each year since 1998-99. [82013]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table:

Count of emergency admissions for all national health service hospitals in England
Data year Emergency admissions

1998-99

3,784,954

1999-2000

3,833,667

2000-01

3,856,836

2001-02

3,885,780

2002-03

3,938,026

2003-04

4,199,299

2004-05

4,428,680

Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care

Faculty of Medical Management and Leadership

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on the establishment of a Faculty of Medical Management and Leadership. [71421]

Andy Burnham: I have received no representations on this subject.


24 July 2006 : Column 1098W

Food Labelling

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to ensure that (a) supermarkets and (b) manufacturers implement the recommendations of the Food Standards Agency concerning front of pack labelling. [81419]

Caroline Flint: The Government recommendations for voluntary front of pack signpost labelling based on four core principles:

    provision of information for fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt;

    use of red, amber, green colour coding to indicate at a glance whether the level of individual nutrients is high, medium and low;

    information on the level of each nutrient present in a portion of the product; and

    use of nutritional criteria developed by the agency.

Since then, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with retailers and manufacturers to promote take-up of the recommended approach. I have also met representatives of several companies to encourage them to adopt this approach.

Sainsbury’s already has a traffic light colour based scheme on its own-brand ready meals, breakfast cereals, pizzas and sandwiches. Waitrose has also introduced the scheme by applying it to sandwiches and intends to extend this to ready meals and pizzas later this year. Asda and the Co-op are to follow shortly.

We will continue to encourage industry to adopt its recommendations to ensure that consumers are provided with helpful nutritional information on front of pack, based on extensive consumer research.

Food Safety

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government and their non-departmental public bodies have put in place to ensure food manufacturers report to the Food Standards Agency infections harmful to human health in their produce; and if she will make a statement. [84627]

Caroline Flint: Under the General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002, it is illegal to place any food on the market if it is unsafe, that is, injurious to human health or unfit for human consumption. The regulation also requires food manufacturers to inform immediately both the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their local authority of any food assessed to be potentially harmful to health. The food must then be withdrawn from the market and, if necessary, recalled from consumers. In order to facilitate food manufacturers' obligations to report food incidents under Regulation 178/2002, the FSA has made available to industry guidance on reporting which can be accessed from the FSA's website at:

    www.food.gov.uk

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidelines the Food Standards Agency has issued regarding testing for salmonella by food manufacturers; and if she will make a statement. [84628]


24 July 2006 : Column 1099W

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not issued specific guidance on salmonella testing since testing regimes should be established by food business operators, informed by their food safety management systems. The FSA has, however, issued a range of guidance documents to assist food businesses and enforcers with implementing the new hygiene legislation. These list sources of further technical guidance from industry representative bodies and expert organisations which will help businesses to establish appropriate hazard analysis critical control point-based procedures and testing regimes.

Food Standards Agency

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Food Standards Agency has made of whether guideline daily amounts on food assist consumers in making judgments about the healthiness of a food product. [83884]

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency tested a total of seven different guideline daily amounts (GDA) signpost formats with consumers. The results indicated that many consumers could not use this information to correctly assess the nutritional quality of food. Understanding improved when the GDA information was provided in combination with traffic light colour coding.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency has tested the effectiveness of monochrome guideline daily amounts showing nutrients as a percentage of guideline daily amounts. [83890]

Caroline Flint: A monochrome guideline daily amount (GDA) signpost format was included in the signpost formats the Food Standards Agency tested with consumers. The results indicated that in practice many consumers could not use this information to correctly assess the nutritional quality of food. Understanding improved when the GDA information was provided in combination with traffic light colour coding.

General Food Regulations

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of legal fee liability upon the prosecution of food and drink companies by competent authorities under the General Food Regulations 2004; and if she will make a statement. [85039]

Caroline Flint: There has been no assessment of the impact of legal fee liability upon prosecution of food and drink companies under the General Food Regulations 2004. This was not mentioned as a possible financial burden in any of the responses to the public consultation exercise before the general food regulations were introduced.

Genetic Disorders

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is made available to the public by the NHS on the incidence of genetic
24 July 2006 : Column 1100W
disorders for children of closely related parents; and if she will make a statement. [85017]

Andy Burnham: The provision of information to the public on this kind of issue is generally a matter for local national health service services taking into account the needs and cultural background of their local population.

The Human Genetics Commission supports the need for proper provision of education and information about marriage within a kin-ship group. This should entail access to counselling and support, preferably in the individual's or couple's preferred language, and a no-blame approach that enables at-risk couples to come forward for testing. Those wanting specific advice on their individual risk should consult a clinical geneticist or genetic counsellor in their local NHS regional genetics centre.

The Department is funding two pilot projects in areas with large Asian communities that are looking at how best to raise community awareness of genetics services and what they can provide. These pilots will provide valuable evidence on how best to provide culturally sensitive services that meet the particular needs of these populations.

The London IDEAS Genetic Knowledge Park (funded by the Department and Department of Trade and Industry) and the genetic interest group are preparing a leaflet dealing specifically with the possible increased risk of inherited disorders associated with consanguineous marriage for use by specialised genetics services as an adjunct to genetic counselling. This is part to of a larger project that aims to address the lack of availability of multilingual information on genetic disorders and risk.

Genito-Urinary Medicine

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 264W, on genito-urinary medicine (GUM), what percentage of attenders at genito-urinary medicine clinics were recorded as not given an appointment within two weeks in the (a) February 2006 and (b) May 2006 audit of GUM clinic waiting times by the Health Protection Agency. [84674]

Caroline Flint: Figures for the February 2006 audit showed that 18 per cent. of attendees at genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics were not seen within two weeks since first contacting the clinic. However, some of these patients were offered an earlier appointment but could not attend.

Figures for the May 2006 audit showed that 15 per cent. of attendees at GUM clinics were not seen within two weeks since first contacting the clinic. However, some of these patients were offered an earlier appointment but could not attend.

The May 2006 summary data on the percentage of patients seen within 48 hours can be found in the GUM Clinic Waiting Times Reports May 2005 to May 2006, copies of which are available in the Library. Copies of the document are freely available at the following website.

    www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_st/epidemiology/wtimes.htm


24 July 2006 : Column 1101W

Overall, the number of attendees at GUM clinics seen within 48 hours in England increased from 51 per cent. in February 2006 to 54 per cent. in May 2006 and a further 4 per cent.

Halal

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will promote the adoption of a Halal symbol to enable Muslim consumers easily to identify Halal products. [85576]

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency works closely with the Muslim community through its Muslim organisations working group and its members are currently working on a voluntary halal code of practice to assist with producing a standardised halal certification system. Once this has been produced, it is hoped that it will be widely adopted by the Muslim community, allowing for food to be labelled or otherwise marked as halal in accordance with that code of practice and providing clearer advice for consumers.

Health Care Costs

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of expenditure on (a) primary care and (b) hospital care was in Islington in each of the past five years; and what the estimated level is in 2006-07. [84946]

Andy Burnham: The table shows data for Islington primary care trust (PCT) for the years that it has been in existence, 2002-03 to 2004-05, which is the latest year for which information is available. Prior to 2002-03, it is not possible to identify expenditure in Islington as it was not a separate reporting identity.


24 July 2006 : Column 1102W

Data given relates expenditure by the PCT on purchase of primary healthcare and the purchase of secondary healthcare in each case. It is not possible to identify hospital care alone as this may include, for example, care in the community.

The allocations to Islington PCT for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were £336.9 million and £363.9 million respectively.

Expenditure by Islington PCT
£000
Purchase of primary healthcare Purchase of secondary healthcare

2002-03

38,807

202,020

2003-04

49,101

204,978

2004-05

50,761

259,649

Source: Audited summarisation schedules of Islington PCT.

Health Statistics (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with (a) diabetes and (b) Alzheimer’s syndrome in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87495]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Data on the number of patients diagnosed with diabetes is not held in the format requested. However, the number of patients with diabetes by London primary care trust (PCT) for March 2005 and March 2006 which are the latest figures available is shown in the following table.

Data on the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s syndrome is not collected centrally.


24 July 2006 : Column 1103W

24 July 2006 : Column 1104W
Number of patients with diabetes as identified on practice registers
London March 2006 March 2005

North Central

Barnet PCT

5A9

12,423

12,041

North Central

Enfield PCT

5C1

10,559

9,616

North Central

Haringey Teaching PCT

5C9

9,664

8,849

North Central

Camden PCT

5K7

5,897

5,691

North Central

Islington PCT

5K8

6,706

6,049

North East

Havering PCT

5A4

8,997

8,306

North East

Barking and Dagenham PCT

5C2

6,582

5,673

North East

City and Hackney PCT

5C3

9,225

8,644

North East

Tower Hamlets PCT

5C4

9,995

9,402

North East

Newham PCT

5C5

14,404

13,948

North East

Redbridge PCT

5NA

11,522

10,975

North East

Waltham Forest PCT

5NC

10,399

9,898

North West

Hillingdon PCT

SAT

9,701

9,153

North West

Hammersmith and Fulham

5H1

4,651

4,960

North West

Ealing PCT

5HX

15,481

14,409

North West

Hounslow PCT

SHY

9,796

9,182

North West

Brent PCT

5K5

16,158

15,236

North West

Harrow PCT

5K6

10,846

8,963

North West

Kensington and Chelsea PCT

5LA

4,386

4,117

North West

Westminster PCT

5LC

5,998

5,801

South East

Bromley PCT

5A7

9,499

9,052

South East

Greenwich PCT

5A8

8,159

7,535

South East

Lambeth PCT

5LD

10,397

9,875

South East

Southwark PCT

5LE

9,294

8,759

South East

Lewisham PCT

5LF

10,161

8,819

South East

Bexley Care Trust

TAK

7,770

7,589

South West

Kingston PCT

5A5

5,490

4,959

South West

Croydon PCT

5K9

13,781

13,252

South West

Wandsworth PCT

5LG

9,256

9,086

South West

Richmond and Twickenham PCT

5M6

4,698

4,235

South West

Sutton and Merton PCT

5M7

13,330

12,373


Health Worker Recruitment Code of Practice

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received from NHS employers regarding the effectiveness of the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers; [81789]

(2) what advice has been given by her Department to NHS employers regarding the implementation of the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers; [81790]

(3) what procedures are in place for the reporting to her Department of breaches of the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers; [81791]

(4) how many recruitment agencies have signed the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers; [81792]

(5) pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1062W, on Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, how many recruitment agencies have breached the Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Workers since November 2005. [81801]

Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Employers is an independent body with responsibility for providing national health service employers with guidance about employment matters, this includes advice and support on the implementation of the code of practice.

NHS Employers also monitor breaches of the code and provide the Department with monthly returns which includes details of the following:

    the number of agencies on the code of practice list;

    ongoing investigations of alleged breaches of the code; and

    removal of agencies from the list.

There are currently 279 commercial recruitment agencies on the code of practice list. One agency has been removed from the list since November 2005.

The Department has received no representations from NHS Employers regarding the effectiveness of the code of practice.

Healthcare Commission

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2098W, on the Healthcare Commission, when she expects to publish regulations to transfer the regulation of controlled drugs to the Healthcare Commission; and what consultation is planned prior to the publication of such regulations. [87737]

Andy Burnham: The Health Bill, which creates the regulation making powers, received Royal Assent on19 July. The regulations will be laid, subject to parliamentary timetables, this autumn. The guidance on the new governance arrangements for controlled drugs was developed in conjunction with key stakeholders—professionals, regulators, police services, service providers and patient groups and was the subject of formal public consultation in the summer of 2005. The response to the consultation is available on the Department's website.

The controlled drugs advisory group commented on the draft regulations at their meeting on 28 June 2006 and self-nominated representatives from the advisory group meet for a more detailed workshop on the draft regulations on 7 July. The sub-group included many of the key regulators involved in controlled drugs inspection: the Healthcare Commission, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, General Medical Council, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, etc.

Although there are no plans to repeat the formal public consultation, the Department has just completed a series of six conferences around the country for service providers—both national health service and the independent sector and the key regulators—on the new framework for the use and management of controlled drugs created by the Health Act 2006 and subsequent regulations.

Herbal Medicines

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether manufacturers of products registered under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive will be able to indicate on their label whether they comply with organic standards of production; [85631]

(2) what steps she intends to take to ensure that consumers of products registered under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive are able to identify whether they comply with organic standards of production. [85632]

Andy Burnham: Article 62 of Directive 2001/83/EC provides that, in addition to other mandatory information, the outer packaging and the package leaflet of a medicinal product covered by the requirements of the directive may include other information compatible with the summary of product characteristics which is useful for the patient, to the exclusion of any element of a promotional nature. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently investigating the issue raised and in particular whether there are circumstances in which references to organic production could be compatible with the summary of product characteristics.


24 July 2006 : Column 1105W

The MHRA will also explore what scope there may be for companies to refer to organic production in advertising materials.

Hospital Telephone Calls

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the charge was per minute for telephone calls made (a) by patients from and (b) to patients in hospital, in each primary care trust in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement. [87329]

Andy Burnham: The NHS Plan, published in July 2000, announced bedside televisions and telephones would be available in every major hospital by 2004. The systems have now been installed in around 80,000 beds in 160 major national health service hospitals.

Three private companies are licensed to provide bedside entertainment systems to major hospitals in England. They set the call charges.

The cost for patients to make telephone calls to these hospitals has remained constant at 10p per minute (minimum 20p) for local and national calls.

The incoming call charges have remained constant for two of the service provides at 39p per minute off peak and 49p per minute peak. Charges per minute for the third service provider were; 14p 2002, 17p in 2003, 20p in 2004 and they currently charge 35p.

Primary care trusts fall outside the NHS Plan remit for the availability of bedside televisions and telephones and they would therefore make their own provisions for telephone systems.

Housing (Health Hazards)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on joint action to prevent health hazards resulting from poorly heated and insulated housing; and if she will make a statement. [86591]

Caroline Flint: In the recent “The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy” fourth annual progress report it highlights in most areas that there has been a lot of cross departmental work to address fuel poverty across the regions including the role of the health sector in reducing health related harm. The National Energy Action (NEA) has undertaken a wide range of projects during 2004-05 and these have aimed to contribute to the co-ordination of delivery of energy efficiency services at local level, develop strategic fuel poverty alleviation activity by regional bodies and to continue work with partners in the health sector.

The energy efficiency partnership for homes holds a fuel poverty strategy group and during 2005-06 has held cross-partnership seminars to encourage the take up of fuel poverty initiatives by the partnerships 12 other main working groups. The work of the fuel poverty strategy group is further facilitated through its two sub-groups, of which one is a health sub-group which funds the health housing and fuel poverty forum, initiated in 2005.


24 July 2006 : Column 1106W

The health, housing and fuel poverty forum held a national conference in February 2006, which focused on how to better engage the health sector via improved partnership working in order to minimise the health related harm due to cold homes and fuel poverty. More recently, in June 2006 the south east region has held round table discussions on how to take this work forward at national, regional and local levels.

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of regional variations in availability of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved treatments for lymphoma; and if she will make a statement. [87740]

Ms Rosie Winterton: In June 2004, the National Cancer Director published a report into variations in usage of cancer drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) including Rituximab (Mabthera) for lymphoma. This showed a 2.6 fold variation in the use of rituximab across the 34 cancer networks—this was the narrowest variation of all the NICE approved drugs considered.

An update of Professor Richards’s report will be published later this year and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have spent on research into (a) prevention and (b) treatment of lymphoma in each year from 1997. [87741]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Lymphoma is the most common type of haematological cancer and includes Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The latter includes a wide range of conditions. Treatment depends on the type of lymphoma and staging of the disease.

Treatment ranges from low dose chemotherapy to high dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue (similar to a bone marrow transplant). Patients may also require supportive treatments such as blood transfusions and plasma exchanges.

We do not routinely track our research spend on specific tumour sites and cannot provide a figure for the amount spent on research into lymphoma prevention or treatment, but the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) strategic analysis of cancer research in the United Kingdom directly funded by NCRI partner organisation in 2004 revealed that approximately 7 per cent. of research spend, approximately £21.5 million, was in lymphoma.

McTimoney Chiropractic Course (University of Wales)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the regulation of chiropractic, with particular reference to the proposals of the General Chiropractic Council to withdraw accreditation from the McTimoney Chiropractic course at the University of Wales. [53085]


24 July 2006 : Column 1107W

Andy Burnham: I understand that agreement has been reached for those students currently in years three, four and five to graduate and be eligible for registration as chiropractors. The General Chiropractic Council and McTimoney College are continuing to work together to achieve a positive outcome for students currently in years one and two. However, the matter remains subjudice whilst discussions continue about the position of these students.

Medical Devices Directive

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to make representations to the European Commission on revising the Medical Devices Directive. [86282]

Andy Burnham: The Commission published a proposed directive revising the medical devices directive in December 2005 which is currently being negotiated in the Council of Ministers working group. Given that these negotiations are ongoing there are no plans to request the Commission to undertake another revision exercise.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent advice she has received from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency with regards to the revision of the Medical Devices Directive. [85929]

Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has the responsibility for negotiating the proposal to revise the Medical Devices Directive in the Council of Ministers working group. The United Kingdom’s negotiating position has been agreed by Ministers.

Mental Health Bill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many service users from black and minority ethnic backgrounds attended each of the consultation events relating to the Race Equality Impact Assessment on the Mental Health Bill. [81978]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Care services improvement partnership and the National Assembly for Wales organised a series of seven consultation events to gather views on the proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983, as part of the race equality impact assessment. The events, held in Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leicester and London, attracted approximately 430 people from a variety of backgrounds and organisations. Delegates were not asked to record their ethnicity, so we do not have a specific record of how many service users from black and minority ethnic backgrounds attended the events. However, of the organisations that registered their attendance there were representatives of service users groups from a range of black and minority ethnic backgrounds: Black, African, Afro-Caribbean, Somali, United Kingdom Asian, South Asian, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and Irish.


24 July 2006 : Column 1108W

Midwives

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were practising in the National Health Service in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 1992, expressed as a (i) headcount and (ii) whole-time equivalent figure. [84431]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of midwives in London and England in each year since 1992 is shown in the table.

National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services: Qualified Midwifery Staff in England and the London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) Area as at 30 September each specified year
Headcount
England Of which: London SHA total( 1)

1992

24,020

(3)

1993

23,353

(3)

1994

23,050

(3)

1995(2)

22,022

(3)

1996

22,595

3,243

1997

22,385

3,370

1998

22,841

3,406

1999

22,799

3,581

2000

22,572

3,399

2001

23,075

3,526

2002

23,249

3,601

2003

23,941

3,981

2004

24,844

3,950

2005

24,808

4,338


Full-time equivalent
England Of which: London SHA total( 1)

1992

20,283

(3)

1993

19,554

(3)

1994

19,291

(3)

1995(2)

18,034

(3)

1996

18,262

2,746

1997

18,053

2,809

1998

18,168

2,777

1999

17,876

2,789

2000

17,662

2,673

2001

18,048

2,813

2002

18,119

2,812

2003

18,444

3,026

2004

18,854

3,040

2005

18,949

3,326

(1) London SHA figures 1996-2001 are estimated based on the 2005 organisational structure. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
(2) A new system of occupation coding for NHS non-medical staff was introduced in 1995. The new codes classify staff according to what they do rather than the terms and conditions under which they are employed i.e. national pay scales. Figures based on new occupation codes are not directly comparable with those based on the old pay scale classification, therefore figures since 1995 are not comparable with earlier years.
(3) Not available.
Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.


24 July 2006 : Column 1109W

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 330W, on ministerial meetings, which two dates were cancelled for a meeting between the hon. Member for Chorley and the Minister of State for Health. [84145]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 10 July 2006]: A meeting was scheduled to take place between the hon. Member for Chorley and the Minister of State for Health on Monday 5 June at 8 p.m. in Interview Room 1, Portcullis House. The meeting was postponed. The Minister of State for Health had hoped to offerthe hon. Member further dates for this meeting on the evenings of 12 and 19 June but was prevented from doing so by parliamentary business.

A meeting did subsequently take place between the hon. Member for Chorley and the Minister of State for Health on Mon 26 June at 8.30pm at the above venue.

Another meeting was arranged on 22 June. Representatives of the hon. Member attended.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS establishments Ministers in her Department have visited in North East Cambridgeshire constituency in the last 12 months. [85981]

Andy Burnham: Departmental Ministers have not visited any national health service establishments in the North East Cambridgeshire constituency in the last 12 months. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health visited Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon on 26 May 2005 and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust in Fulborne on 26 June 2006.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS establishments Ministers in her Department have visited in East Yorkshire constituency in the last 12 months. [85324]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 17 July 2006]: My hon. Friend, Ms Caroline Flint, Minister of State for Public Health visited health trainers from East and West Hull primary care trusts on 23 March 2006.

My hon. Friend, Ms Rosie Winterton, Minister of State for Health Services visited the Greentrees facility, a nurse consultant-led service in Willerby, Hull on4 April 2006.

MMR

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make an assessment of recent research by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina on a possible link between the MMR triple vaccine and autism and bowel disease in children; and if she will make a statement. [84799]

Caroline Flint: The recent study by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine into a possible link between the triple vaccine and autism and bowel
24 July 2006 : Column 1110W
disease in children (the Krigsman study) cannot be given credibility since it did not include any control groups. The same investigation in Dr Wakefield’s own laboratories showed no evidence of measles virus in bowel tissue from autistic children. Several properly conducted studies that include control groups, have failed to find measles virus persisting in the blood cells of autistic children and therefore we believe that there remains no convincing epidemiological or virological evidence for measles, mumps and rubella playing a part in causing autism.

National Blood Service

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how often her Department reviews medical evidence which forms the basis for blood donation rules that (a) permanently exclude men who have had sex with men and (b) temporarily exclude female sexual partners of those men; when the last review of the medical evidence was carried out; and when the next review is scheduled to take place. [76928]

Caroline Flint: Donor selection criteria are set by the Joint UK Blood Transfusion Services and National Institute of Biological Standards and Control Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC). The rules regarding blood donation are guided by epidemiological data relating to the United Kingdom and are regularly subject to review.

The donor selection criterion which excludes men who have sex with men is kept under review by the expert advisory committee on the microbiological safety of blood, tissues and organs for transplantation (MSBTO). MSBTO discussed a recent review of the epidemiological data relating to this issue at a meeting held on 20 June. The Committee considered an evaluation of the effects of changes in the donor selection criterion for men who have had sex with men on the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections in England and Wales, 2002 to 2004. The Committee is expected to discuss this issue again at its next meeting in October.

The current Donor Selection Guidelines (202, November 2005) state that female partners of a man who has had sex with another man must not donate, even if a condom or other protection has been used. There is discretionary provision to accept such an individual if at least 12 months have elapsed since the last sexual contact with a male partner who has sex with another man. This policy is currently under review by the UK Blood Services.

National Procurement

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department will invite primary care trusts to take part in the national procurement process. [84462]

Andy Burnham: An advert was submitted to the Official Journal of the European Union on 13 July which notified of a national procurement of management and support services to help deliver primary care trusts’ (PCT) commissioning obligations.

Applicants will be assessed on quality and financial grounds. Once providers have been accredited and a framework agreement established they will be made
24 July 2006 : Column 1111W
available to the national health service locally to support PCTs in their commissioning functions, should they need such expertise or support.

PCTs are and will remain public, statutory bodies accountable and responsible for using their growing budgets to commission the best possible services for local people.

NHS Bursaries

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's press release of 29 June, on NHS bursaries, what size bursary uplift (a) nursing, (b) midwifery, (c) medical, (d) dental and (e) allied health professional students received in each year since 1997. [84020]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The table shows the national health service bursary rates for the basic awards, not including additional allowances, for the period 1997 to
24 July 2006 : Column 1112W
2007 and the annual percentage increases. The majority of nurses and midwives receive the non-means tested bursary. Medical and dental students and the majority of allied health professional students receive the means-tested NHS bursary. The NHS bursary scheme has supported allied health professional students since 1998 and medical and dental undergraduate students since September 2002 from their fifth and subsequent years of study. During the first four years’ of study medical and dental students receive support under the Department for Education and Skills regulations.

In addition to the basic NHS bursary awards there are a number of other allowances. These include allowances for students aged 26 and over and dependents’ allowances. Since 1999, we have also provided better support for student travel costs in respect of practice placements. In 2004, we introduced the childcare allowance and in 2005 continuing payments for students on maternity leave.

Basic NHS bursary rates for academic years 1997-98 to 2006-07
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

NHS means tested bursary

London

n/a

2,225

2,280

2,335

2,578

2,640

2,703

2,768

2,837

2,908

Elsewhere

n/a

1,810

1,855

1,900

2,098

2,148

2,200

2,253

2,309

2,367

Parental home

n/a

1,480

1,515

1,555

1,717

1,758

1,800

1,843

1,889

1,936

NHS non-means tested bursary

London

5,230

5,374

5,508

5,645

6,232

6,382

6,535

6,692

6,859

7,030

Elsewhere/parental home

4,450

4,572

4,686

4,805

5,305

5,432

5,562

5,695

5,837

5,983

Percentage increase on previous year

2.75

2.5

2.4

10.4

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.5

2.5


NHS Commissioning

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she intends to publish her Department’s framework for commissioning, practice-based commissioning and the national contract template for 2007-08; [84453]

(2) when she plans to publish her Department's framework for (a) the future of provider reform, (b) future workforce development and (c) the management and regulation of the healthcare system. [84457]

Ms Rosie Winterton: On Friday 14 July, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health made a written statement announcing the publication of “Health Reform in England: Update and Commissioning Framework”. This document contains a detailed commissioning framework, which includes proposals for strengthening practice based commissioning and a new model of contracting. It also provides updates on the future of provider reform, workforce development and system management and regulation. A copy of the framework is available in the Library.

A consultation document on system management and regulation will be published in the autumn and further information on workforce will be published later this year.

NHS Direct

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2006, Official Report, columns 231-2W, on NHS Direct, what proportion of total NHS Direct sites the proposed closure of 12 sites represents; and what proportion of the total NHS Direct workforce 573 posts represents. [81937]

Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct currently has 54 sites. A number of the 12 sites proposed for closure, representing 22 per cent. of the estate, are small and do not provide suitable accommodation that meets the future needs of NHS Direct for either facilities or good support for staff through supervision.

The consultation document sets out that the organisation has 2,796 posts. The possible reduction in posts in the organisation could be around 400, representing 14 per cent. of the current posts.


24 July 2006 : Column 1113W

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment her Department has made of the impact of NHS Direct on front line services; and if she will make a statement; [81974]

(2) what assessment she has made of the likely impact of proposed (a) site closures and (b) staff redundancies on NHS Direct front-line services. [82035]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The proposals set out in the consultation document are designed to ensure that NHS Direct can continue to provide a high quality service to patients and can improve the value for money offered to commissioners and to taxpayers. The proposals aim to increase efficiency of NHS Direct operations, improve the patient experience, improve the working experience for staff, and make better use of specialist skills throughout the organisation. NHS Direct recognise that this is a difficult time for staff and are working to ensure that all staff have the opportunity to comment on the proposals, through formal and informal means, as well as working closely with union representatives.

NHS Employees

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the progress of the review by her Department of the financial support available to students studying for employment in the NHS. [83683]

Ms Rosie Winterton: We have started to review the national health service bursary scheme, in particular to ensure it complies with age discrimination and eligibility legislation. We will also introduce a formal policy to pay for students absent due to maternity and childbirth to replace the current interim arrangements. A consultative meeting has taken place with the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the British Medical Association. Further meetings are planned during the summer with student representatives and other stakeholders.

NHS Finance

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional net resources will be available to the NHS in 2006-07 after taking into account (a) NHS inflation and (b) the 2005-06 deficit. [58168]

Andy Burnham: There will be £6,540 million additional net resources available to the national health service in 2006-07. This represents a real terms increase of 5.8 per cent. on NHS expenditure in 2005-06. This growth takes into account the 2005-06 deficit position. The following able provides the total net NHS expenditure in each of the years.

2005-06 (Estimated outturn) 2006-07 (Plan)

Net NHS expenditure (£ billion)

77.847

84.387

Percentage increase (cash)

8.4

Percentage increase (real-gross domestic product deflator 29 March)

5.8


24 July 2006 : Column 1114W

These figures are as reported in Department Report 2006 (DR2006) Table 3.4.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capital underspend was for the NHS in 2005-06; and whether her Department plans to redirect the underspend to health authorities with financial deficits. [87114]

Andy Burnham: The 2005-06 provisional outturn is the most recently published data on the national health service financial position. This data shows that the provisional capital underspend in 2005-06 was £1,162 million.

Capital and revenue are managed and controlled separately by HM Treasury. The Department is voted separate budgets for both capital and revenue and does not have the power to vire funding from the capital budget to the revenue budget.

NHS Life Check

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 22, on health and social care services, what progress she has made in developing an NHS life check. [84641]

Caroline Flint: We have made good progress developing the national health service life check. Following a very successful stakeholder workshop there will initially be NHS life checks for three key life stages: early years, adolescence, and mid-life.

We have established a small project delivery team and are currently setting up a steering group of key stakeholders. A review of existing online self-assessment tools has also been completed, which will inform the development of the NHS life check assessment tools. The Department has applied to the Patent Office for the NHS life check trademark.

NHS Litigation Authority

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 11 June 2006, Official Report, column 64WS, on the NHS Litigation Authority, for what reasons the NHS Litigation Authority achieved an underspend of £205 million in 2005-06; and whether she expects the change in the discount rate in 2005-06 to lead to additional costs for the Authority in future years. [86211]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) forecasts in advance the likely claims expenditure and number of new claims reported to the schemes, neither of which is controlled by the NHSLA. The major impacting factor on the NHSLA’s resource limit is the level of claims reported to the schemes. In 2005-06 fewer claims were made than forecast, meaning fewer new provisions and therefore an underspend in resource terms. As a consequence, NHSLA actuarial advisors reviewed the incurred but not reported provisions which led to a reduction in the resource requirement in year.


24 July 2006 : Column 1115W

The additional costs to the NHSLA, which result from the change in the discount rate for provisions, have been taken into account in setting the departmental expenditure limit for the Department for 2006-07 and future years and in setting the budgets for the NHSLA.

NHS Staff Redundancies

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff (a) have been and (b) were expected to be made redundant (i) voluntarily and (ii) compulsorily at (A) Barnet primary care trust, (B) Barnet Chase Farm trust, (C) Royal Free trust and (D) Northwick Park; and if she will make a statement. [84351]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS Supply Chain Excellence Programme

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to allow health trusts to consider long-term cost effectiveness when making purchasing decisions following the introduction of the supply chain excellence programme. [86402]

Andy Burnham: The supply chain excellence programme approach to procurement is to blend national health service clinical expertise with best in-class procurement methodology. This methodology includes a review of whole-life costs, where appropriate, of the goods and services the NHS uses.

This approach to strategic sourcing is being embedded across the NHS in order to ensure best value to the taxpayer and quality of care for patients. NHS trusts have a duty of care to deliver both of these objectives.

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the NHS supply chain excellence programme on the uptake and use of medical technology in the NHS. [86403]

Andy Burnham: It is expected that the supply chain excellence programme will have a positive impact on the uptake and use of medical technology in the national health service.

Increasingly there is a more strategic approach to procurement of goods and services, and to markets, across the service. A strategic approach that will ensure that the NHS is getting best value for money from the significant amount it spends on goods and services, including medical technology.

If best value for money is achieved there will be more resources to spend on patient care and as a result there will be a need for more medical technology to support that care.

In securing best value, mechanisms are in place to ensure that procurement takes account of clinical choice which in itself will help to ensure uptake.


24 July 2006 : Column 1116W

NHS Trusts (Financial Management)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce financial management training for chief executives of NHS trusts which are in financial deficit. [86377]

Andy Burnham: All NHS chief executives, as accountable officers, need the skills and experience to ensure proper financial controls are in place and that all resources are well managed. This is assessed as part of the appointment process.

Where chief executives of NHS trusts are in financial deficit, the strategic health authority agrees what action is needed to bring finances back under control including an assessment of senior leadership skills.

There are no plans to introduce mandatory financial management training for any chief executives. However, sound financial management is a critical issue and a comprehensive capability-building programme is being developed for finance directors throughout the NHS, and it is anticipated that a number of chief executives may wish to participate.

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and Monitor are co-commissioning the commercially focused development programme for NHS finance directors. The first wave will commence in November this year, with a service wide roll out from spring 2007. This programme is expected to be pivotal in delivering transformational change in NHS financial management performance.

NICE

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the cost per quality-adjusted life-year used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in assessing cost effectiveness was originally established; whether she plans to have NICE raise it in line with price inflation; and if she will make a statement. [87746]

Andy Burnham: The cost per quality-adjusted-life-year calculation is one of the factors that informs the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) when reaching a decision on the clinical and cost effectiveness of health technologies. NICE does not have a set limit. NICE'S approach to appraising clinical and cost-effectiveness is set out in its methods guide published in April 2004 and available on its website at:

    www.nice.org.uk

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the guidance resulting from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence technology appraisals is implemented across the whole NHS within three months; and if she will make a statement. [86404]

Andy Burnham: Strategic health authorities manage the national health service locally on behalf of the Secretary of State. They hold all local NHS organisations (apart from NHS foundation trusts) to account for performance and make sure national priorities—for example, National Institute for Health
24 July 2006 : Column 1117W
and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance—are integrated into local health service plans.

Technology appraisals from NICE are reflected in core standard C5 of “Standards for Better Health” published by the Department in July 2004.

The Healthcare Commission started assessing NHS bodies’ performance against the core standards in April 2005, and the first ratings based on this assessment will be published later this year.

Non-medical Professional Regulation

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the review of non-medical professional regulation being undertaken by her Department’s Director of Workforce. [85784]

Andy Burnham: The Department published its review of non-medical regulation on 14 July, at the same time as the Chief Medical Officer published his review of medical regulation. A joint public consultation has been launched on the recommendations, which closes on 10 November 2006. Copies of the consultation document, both reports and other related documents are available in the Library.

Non-practising Doctors

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of non-practising medically qualified doctors in the UK. [85524]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Nut Allergies

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to ensure that all food labels clearly indicate whether foods contain nuts. [84264]

Caroline Flint: The provisions of Directive 2003/89/EC require that, as from 25 November 2005, a
24 July 2006 : Column 1118W
specified list of allergenic foods, including nuts and peanuts, have to be clearly declared on the label whenever they are used in all pre-packed food, including alcoholic drinks.

However, the directive does not cover allergenic foods that may be present unintentionally as a result of allergen cross-contamination at some point during the manufacture or transportation of the food. Therefore, the Food Standards Agency has produced voluntary best practice guidance on allergen management and advisory labelling. This guidance was published on Monday 10 July.

Osteopathy

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce proposals to change the practice of osteopaths determining the profession’s own standards (a) of training, (b) of practice and (c) for access to the statutory register. [80389]

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1565W.

PFI Schemes

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by her Department on private finance initiative schemes in the last nine years; and how many of those schemes have been completed on time. [85415]

Andy Burnham: Information on completed private finance initiative projects which have opened late is not routinely collected centrally. To provide such information for each of the past nine years would incur disproportionate costs.

A key aspect of the private finance initiative (PFI) is the transfer of risk. PFI incentivises the consortium to complete construction on schedule because the consortium does not begin to receive payments until the asset is ready for use and the service is being delivered.

The following tables show all PFI schemes which have reached financial close and are operational to date:


24 July 2006 : Column 1119W

24 July 2006 : Column 1120W
Prioritised PFI schemes by financial and operational (defined as first patient day) date
Strategic health authority NHS trust Financial close/tender award date Operational date Capital value (£ million)

North East

North Cumbria Acute Hospitals—Carlisle

3 November 1997

10 April 2000

67

South East Coast

Dartford and Gravesham

30 July 1997

11 September 2000

94

South Central

Buckinghamshire Hospitals

14 December 1997

17 October 2000

45

London

Queen Elizabeth Hospital—Greenwich

1 July 1998

28 February 2001

96

North East

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals—Dryburn

31 March 1998

2 April 2001

61

Yorkshire and the Humber

Calderdale and Huddersfield

31 July 1998

8 April 2001

65

North West

South Manchester University

8 June 1998

25 July 2001

67

East of England

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals

9 January 1998

21 September 2001

158

West Midlands

Hereford Hospitals

31 March 1999

1 March 2002

64

London

Barnet and Chase Farm

1 February 1999

2 March 2002

54

West Midlands

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals

18 March 1999

18 March 2002

87

North East

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals—Bishop Auckland

28 May 1999

8 June 2002

48

London

King's College Hospital

6 December 1999

7 October 2002

76

South West

Swindon and Marlborough

5 October 1999

3 December 2002

100

Yorkshire and the Humber

Leeds Mental Health Teaching

1 March 2000

16 December 2002

47

London

Bromley Hospitals

19 November 1998

29 March 2003

118

Yorkshire and the Humber

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals

8 December 2000

29 March 2003

22

South Central

Berkshire Healthcare

2 May 2001

29 April 2003

30

London

West Middlesex University Hospital

30 January 2001

16 May 2003

60

North East

South Tees Acute Hospitals

16 August 1999

1 August 2003

122

London

St George's Healthcare

20 March 2000

11 September 2003

46

South West

Gloucestershire Hospitals

1 May 2002

13 November 2004

32

West Midlands

Dudley Group of Hospitals

1 May 2001

1 April 2005

137

London

University College London Hospitals

12 July 2000

12 June 2005

422

London

North West London Hospitals -Central Middlesex

6 November 2003

19 March 2006

69

South West

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership

1 March 2004

13 June 2006

83

North West

East Lancashire Hospitals—Blackburn

9 July 2003

8 July 2006

110

West Midlands

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire—Walsgrave

27 November 2002

10 July 2006

379



24 July 2006 : Column 1121W

24 July 2006 : Column 1122W
All other non prioritised PFI schemes over £10 million by financial and operational (defined as first patient) date
Strategic health authority NHS trust Financial close/tender award date Operational date Capital value (£ million)

London

Queen Mary’s Sidcup

11 December 1998

30 March 2000

15

East Midlands

Nottingham University Hospitals -QMC

24 May 1999

1 October 2000

17

South East Coast

Sussex Partnership

24 June 1999

31 January 2001

22

West Midlands

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare

8 December 1999

1 September 2001

28

London

Oxleas

4 July 2000

20 December 2001

11

London

North East London Mental Health

4 July 2000

4 March 2002

11

West Midlands

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health

15 August 2000

18 March 2002

18

South West

Cornwall Partnership—Bodmin

31 October 2000

1 June 2002

10

London

East London and The City Mental Health—Newham

5 September 2000

11 June 2002

15

East of England

Luton and Dunstable

21 November 2000

9 September 2002

15

North East

Northumbria Healthcare—Wansbeck

16 November 2000

25 March 2003

18

East of England

Royston, Buntingford and Bishop Stortford PCT

4 May 2001

28 April 2003

15

West Midlands

Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals

20 March 2002

23 June 2003

13

North East

Northumbria Healthcare—Hexham

27 April 2001

12 July 2003

29

South East coast

Guildford and Waverley PCT—Farnham

29 October 2001

1 November 2003

29

North East

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals—Chester-le-street

30 May 2002

18 November 2003

10

South Central

Newbury and Community PCT

4 July 2002

1 March 2004

19

South West

Mid Devon PC— Tiverton

1 July 2002

25 May 2004

10

Yorkshire and the Humber

Leeds Teaching Hospitals—Wharfedale

20 September 2002

4 November 2004

14

North East

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys—West Park

4 July 2003

13 December 2004

16

London

Brent PCT—Willesden

5 December 2002

21 April 2005

21

Yorkshire and the Humber

Doncaster and South Humber Healthcare

11 August 2003

6 June 2005

15

Yorkshire and the Humber

North Kirklees PCT

21 April 2004

14 November 2005

27

West Midlands

Sandwell and W Birmingham Hospitals—City Hospital

9 December 2002

28 November 2005

26

London

Wandsworth PCT—Queen Mary's Roehampton

6 May 2004

10 March 2006

75

South Central

Buckinghamshire Hospitals—Stoke Mandeville

21 May 2004

15 April 2006

47

North East

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear—Morpeth

10 May 2004

15 May 2006

32

South West

Salisbury Health Care

4 March 2004

19 May 2006

24

North East

East Lancashire Hospitals—Burnley

13 October 2003

23 May 2006

30

London

Newham University Hospital

27 January 2004

8 July 2006

55


Pharmacies

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of parishes in (a) rural and (b) urban areas have a pharmacy. [85133]

Andy Burnham: This information is not held centrally.

Physiotherapists

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which NHS trusts are recruiting new junior physiotherapists in 2006-07; [87409]

(2) how many people have qualified as physiotherapists in each of the past five years; and what proportion of those are employed in the NHS. [87410]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Preventative Health Spending

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has established an expert group on preventative health spending. [84465]

Caroline Flint: The White Paper “Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for Community Services” sets out a vision to provide people with good quality social care and national health service services in the communities where they live.

It sets out proposals for “an expert group to develop robust definitions and measures of preventative health spending, to report later in 2006;...”(Paragraph 6.34).

The national reference group for health and wellbeing is being established which will take forward this and other related White Paper commitments. Membership and remit of the group will be published when discussions with stakeholders are complete.

Primary Care Trusts

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1792W, on primary care trusts, what the overall level of investment in enhanced services by primary care trusts (PCTs) was in 2005-06; what the originally planned level of national investment in enhanced services by PCTs was; and if she will make a statement. [85828]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The overall level of national investment in enhanced services by primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2005-06 is forecast to be £649 million. The planned level of national investment (known as the enhanced service floor) was £676 million.

Any issues raised by either PCTs or their local medical committee regarding enhanced service investment can, if all local routes have been exhausted, be referred to the jointly chaired NHS Employers/General Practitioners Committee Implementation Coordination Group for advice.

Road Accidents (Compensation)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was recovered by hospitals from insurers towards the cost of treatment of persons injured in road accidents in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [83767]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Hospitals have for more than70 years been able to recover the costs of providing treatment to the victims of road traffic accidents where the injured person successfully claims personal injury compensation from the person responsible for causing the injury, through their insurer. However, the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 introduced a streamlined, centralised recovery scheme, operated by the compensation recovery unit, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, on behalf of the Secretary of State. Recoveries since that scheme was introduced in April 1999 are as shown in the table.

Amount recovered (£)

1999-2000

30,046,572

2000-01

75,847,629

2001-02

98,278,603

2002-03

105,025,336

2003-04

105,654,936

2004-05

117,504,738

2005-06

121,500


Skin Cancer

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of skin cancer there have been in each constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex. [86530]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.


24 July 2006 : Column 1123W

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many cases of skin cancer there have been in each constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex. [86530]

    The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2003. A table which shows the number of cases of melanoma skin cancer by age and sex for each parliamentary constituency in England, for the years 1999 to 2003, has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Speech Therapy (Children)

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effects of treating children with speech and language difficulties in (a) inclusive settings and (b) on a one-to-one basis; and if she will make a statement. [87150]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: No assessment has been carried out centrally. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities, local authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of speech and language therapy.

Local healthcare professionals are best placed to decide whether speech and language therapy services should be provided in inclusive or one-to-one settings based on the assessed need of each child. Both methods can have positive outcomes.

Strategic Health Authorities (Amalgamation)

Mr. Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the number of staff who have been (a) made redundant, (b) redeployed and (c) prematurely retired as a result of the amalgamation of strategic health authorities; and what the financial cost of these redundancies and early retirements has been. [86589]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 20 July 2006]: There will be a number of redundancies in strategic health authorities following the restructuring brought about by “Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS”. However until the detail of the new arrangements is agreed, it is difficult to make accurate forecasts.

A human resource framework, jointly agreed between the service and trade unions has been produced to support staff through the transition. It contains key information for dealing with staff affected by this change process including measures for minimising redundancies, that is, restrictions on recruitment and maximising opportunities for redeployment.

Syphilis

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of syphilis have been reported in each London borough in each of the last five years. [84223]


24 July 2006 : Column 1124W

Caroline Flint: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections for 2005 for each region were published in ‘Diagnoses of selected 577s by region, sex and age group United Kingdom: 1996-2005’, by the Health Protection Agency on 4 July. A copy of the document is available in the Library. The report is freely available from their website at:

    www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/datatables2005.htm.

Telephones (Hospitals)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines her Department provides to hospital trusts on the use of mobile telephones by patients in hospitals. [82270]

Andy Burnham: The use of mobile telephones and other communication equipment in close proximity to certain electrically sensitive medical equipment is not advised, as the consequences of disrupting such equipment may cause direct harm to patients.

However, it is the responsibility of individual trusts to assess the areas within hospitals where a total ban on the use of mobile telephones is appropriate on safety grounds. Restrictions in other areas of the hospital premises may be introduced for reasons other than their impact on the safety of medical equipment, such as the desire to reduce the disruption caused by the uncontrolled use of mobile telephones and the possible invasion of patients’ privacy from telephones with built in cameras, for example.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recently published “Frequently asked questions on the use of mobile telephones in hospitals” on its website at www.mhra.gov.uk. This has links to other MHRA publications on the effects of mobile telephones on medical equipment.

UK Emergency Care Research

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will make detailed guidance available to NHS research and development departments on the implementation of the regulations in relation to UK Emergency Care Research and the introduction of the Medicine for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004; and if she will make a statement. [87344]

Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor), on 10 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1619-20W. An amendment is under consideration which would allow researchers to enter incapacitated adults into trials of medicines for emergency treatments which have to be administered before there is time to obtain the consent of a legal representative. A further announcement will be made in the autumn.

Vocational General Practice Training Scheme

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had their posts on the Vocational General Practice Training Scheme suspended due to the Deanery’s financial situation in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [84363]


24 July 2006 : Column 1125W

Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2004-05, seven trainee general practitioners had their training deferred for six months, from August 2004 to February 2005, to help with the financial situation at London Deanery. This is the only time that this has happened in the last five years. In 2006-07, 29 trainees are having their training deferred until February 2007 but this is because fewer doctors have left their training posts than expected. All 29 have now been offered or have found alternative employment until February 2007.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place to safeguard places on the Vocational General Practice Training Scheme in the event of a budget overspend by the Deanery. [84364]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The priorities for investment of education and training funding are a matter for local strategic health authorities (SHAs), working with their deaneries in respect of medical education. This is therefore essentially a local matter for the SHA and their deanery to determine. We have been assured however that there is no intention to cut the number of funded training places on the London Deanery vocational general practice training scheme.

Weight Management Services

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategy the Department is using to extend weight management services to all who wish to access them; and what incentives are available to GPs to offer these services. [85876]


24 July 2006 : Column 1126W

Caroline Flint: The White Papers “Choosing Health” and “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say”, set out a range of action to improve health and tackle obesity. The Department has published tools to support frontline health professionals in managing obesity locally and extend weight loss services. These include: “Guidance to Primary Care Trusts on Weighing and Measuring Children; an Obesity Care Pathway; a Weight Loss Guide; and a Patient Activity Questionnaire for over 16’s”. These tools were released in April and May this year and copies are available in the Library.

Regarding incentives available to general practitioners (GPs) offering weight management services, the quality and outcomes framework for 2006-07 rewards GP practices for maintaining an obesity register. The recording of body mass index for the register is intended to be part of a practice’s routine care.

York Hospital

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical, (b) nursing and (c) other professional staff were employed by York NHS Trust and NHS primary care services in Selby and York in 1996-97; and how many in each category are employed by York Hospital and Selby and York primary care trust (PCT), including the mental health services staff transferred from the hospital to the PCT. [86523]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the following tables.

National health service staff ( 1, 2, 3, 4) by specified organisation within the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire strategic health authority (SHA)
Number (headcount)( 5)
1997
North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Q11 York Hospitals NHS Trust RCB Selby and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5E2

All doctors(1, 3)

2,348

271

n/a

Of which:

All Hospital and community health services (HCHS) medical and dental staff(3)

1,349

271

n/a

All practitioners (excluding retainers)(1, 4)

999

n/a

n/a

GP (general practitioner) practice nurses(2)

639

n/a

n/a

Practice staff other than practice nurses

3,283

n/a

n/a

Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff

8,708

1,928

n/a

Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff

2,453

506

n/a

Qualified ambulance service staff

448

0

n/a



24 July 2006 : Column 1127W

24 July 2006 : Column 1128W
Number (headcount)( 5)
2005
North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Q11 York Hospitals NHS Trust RCB Selby and York Primary Care Trust PCT 5E2

All doctors(1, 3)

3,351

352

276

Of which:

All Hospital and community health services (HCHS) medical and dental staff(3)

2,173

352

48

All practitioners (excluding retainers)(1, 4)

1,178

n/a

228

GP (general practitioner) practice nurses(2)

782

n/a

123

Practice staff other than practice nurses

3,238

n/a

549

Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff

10,500

1,335

697

Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff

3,612

482

259

Qualified ambulance service staff

691

0

0

n/a = Not available
(1) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers) includes contracted GPs, CMS Others, personal medical services (PMS) others and GP registrars. Prior to September 2004 this group included general medical services (GMS) unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
(2) Practice staff includes practice nurses, direct patient care, admin and clerical, and other.
(3) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals
(4) GP retainers were first collected in 1999 and have been omitted for comparability purposes
(5) GP data as at 1 October 1997-1999, 30 September 2000-2005, HCHS Medical and Dental data as at 30 September each year, Non-Medical data as at 30
Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census
The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services statistics
The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census

Home Department

Alcohol-related Crime (Humberside)

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol related crimes have (a) been reported and (b) resulted in convictions in Humberside Police Authority area in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. [86908]

Mr. McNulty: From the information collected centrally, it is not possible to identify those offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either the recorded crime or court proceedings data series.

Antisocial Behaviour

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has conducted on the level of anti-social behaviour in local authority areas (a) in England and (b) in Wales. [77788]

John Reid: The following research covers some rather than all local authorities:

    A survey of perceptions of antisocial behaviour in 10 trailblazer areas (Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Camden, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Sunderland and Westminster);

    A survey of the use of powers to tackle antisocial behaviour among Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas; and

    The Anti-Social behaviour Unit (ASBU) One Day Count of antisocial behaviour which collected data on all reports of antisocial behaviour made to a range of agencies in September 2003.

Statistical data are also collected on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) by local authority area, published at:

    www.crimereduction.gov.uk

At police force level, there are two main sources of statistical data which are routinely collected and published by the Home Office. The British Crime Survey which measures experiences of criminal victimisation, perceptions of various types of disorder and experiences of antisocial behaviour in the last 12 months, and, the Offending, Crime and Justice Survey which measures levels of involvement in antisocial behaviour among 10 to 25-year-olds.

Results from both the British Crime Survey and Offending, Crime and Justice Survey are available in the Home Office Online Report 49/04 (2004) “Perceptions and Experience of Antisocial Behaviour: Findings from the British Crime Survey”, by Martin Wood and Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/05 (2005) “Young People and Crime: Findings from the 2004 Offending, Crime and Justice Survey” by Budd et al. These reports are available on:

    http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment is made of the effectiveness of measures taken to tackle antisocial behaviour in the Vale of Clwyd; [86985]

(2) what assessment he has made of the take-upof provisions of anti-social behaviour legislation introduced since 1997 in each local authority area. [86986]

Mr. McNulty: Although the data is not available in the form requested, we know that there has been a huge response both from practitioners (such as local authorities and the police) and from local communities in taking a stand to tackle antisocial behaviour. The tools and powers we have provided since 1997 are being used widely and wisely.

For the last two years, we have carried out a survey of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England, and Community Safety Partnerships in Wales, asking about their actions taken to tackle antisocial behaviour. From those who responded to the surveys, the results are shown in the table.

A Home Office data collection exercise carried out in July 2005 estimated that between January 2004 and June 2005, 809 areas were designated as dispersal areas.

The latest number of Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued in England between April 1999 and September 2005 as reported to the Home Office is
24 July 2006 : Column 1129W
7,026; there were 330 ASBOs issued in Wales, and 13 in Denbighshire, in the same period.

Although we have made much progress there is still much more to be done. We must ensure that our approach is taken nationally so that, no matter where they live, communities should not have to suffer long-term antisocial behaviour problems. Therefore, as part of our work to rebalance the criminal justice system in favour of the law abiding majority, we intend to increase the take up of antisocial behaviour powers, and to reduce the variation in local performance.

Intervention 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005

Acceptable Behaviour Contracts

5,094

8,654

Parenting Contracts

307

1296

Parenting Orders

229

537

Injunctions

946

1614

Evictions

654

822

Closure Orders

(1)176

338

(1)This is for the period 20 January 2004 to 30 September 2004. The crack house closure power was introduced in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 and came into force on 20 January 2004.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many acceptable behaviour contracts have been issued in West Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. [83657]

Mr. McNulty: The data is not available in the form requested. However, for the last two years the Home Office Anti-social Behaviour Unit has carried out a survey of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Community safety Partnerships in Wales asking about their actions taken to tackle antisocial behaviour. From those who responded to the surveys the results are as follows.

    Acceptable Behaviour Contracts 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004—5,094

    Acceptable Behaviour Contracts 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005—8,654

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the recidivism rate of individuals who have received an antisocial behaviour order; and what steps he is taking to reduce the recidivism rate. [86421]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is not available.

National re-offending rates are published annually. The most recent data are published in ‘Adult re-offending: results from the 2002 cohort’. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05’. This is available on the Home Office’s website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html. The start point for calculating these rates is an offender being discharged from a custodial sentence or starting a community sentence. Antisocial behaviour orders are civil orders, not criminal penalties, and are therefore not included in this exercise.

Armed Robbery

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of robbery
24 July 2006 : Column 1130W
of a premises with a firearm occurred in each London borough in each of the last five years. [86531]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested cannot be provided at a borough level.

Table A: Offences of robbery recorded by City of London and Metropolitan police in which firearms were reported to have been used by location of offence,2000-01 to 2001-02
2000-01 2001-02( 1)

Shops, stall, etc

557

734

Garage service station

63

73

Post office

52

65

Bank

63

69

Building society

26

29

Residential(2)

513

717

Public highway

1,390

2,061

Other premises or public space

372

451

Total

3,036

4,199

(1 )Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. (2 )These crimes are mostly burglaries where firearms have been used immediately before, or at the time of stealing items from a residential property, and in order to steal these items. If firearms are used in a get-away, then it is classed as a burglary and will not be included here.

Table B: Offences of robbery recorded by City of London and Metropolitan police in which firearms were reported to have been used by location of offence,2002-03 to 2004-05
2002-03( 1) 2003-04 2004-05

Shops, stall, etc

604

496

376

Garage service station

73

46

49

Post office

55

25

12

Bank

39

10

42

Building society

15

8

4

Residential(2)

786

909

832

Public highway

2,100

1,919

1,488

Other premises or public space

529

478

894

Total

4,201

3,891

3,697

(1 )Figures may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. (2 )These crimes are mostly burglaries where firearms have been used immediately before, or at the time of stealing items from a residential property, and in order to steal these items. If firearms are used in a get-away, then it is classed as a burglary and will not be included here.

Chelmsford Prison

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many toilets are provided in the temporary accommodation for visitors to Chelmsford Prison; and how many are connected to the main sewers. [86954]

Mr. Sutcliffe: There are two toilets available in the temporary accommodation for visitors to Chelmsford Prison. One can be used by both able-bodied visitors and those with a disability. The second toilet provides a baby changing facility. Both are connected to the main sewers.


24 July 2006 : Column 1131W

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people each week visited prisoners at Chelmsford Prison on average in the last 12 months; and how many he estimates were children aged (a) up to five, (b) six to 11 and (c) 12 to 16. [86955]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Over the past 12 months there has been an average of 533 visitors per week at Chelmsford. Of these an average of 39 were under five years of age, 15 were aged between six-11 years and 10 were aged between 12-16 years.

These figures do not include children visiting the Ormiston Trust or the Homework Club, for which figures are not available.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department when the temporary accommodation for visitors to Chelmsford Prison was installed; and for how long it was expected to last. [86958]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The first portacabin was installed seven years ago and the second three years ago to accommodate increasing numbers of visitors. The portacabins were always intended to provide a long term facility.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide permanent facilities for visitors to Chelmsford Prison; and if he will make a statement. [86959]

Mr. Sutcliffe: As part of a larger £36 million development, a new purpose-built facility is currently under construction and should be available from December 2006.

Child Prisoners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safe beds are available for child prisoners. [86240]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The term “safe beds” is not used in the young people’s estate, but there are several design specifications that make rooms safer in terms of protecting young people from self-harm. The different specifications reflect improvements in design over time. Information on the number of rooms of the different safer specifications is not held centrally.

Communications Masts

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the rollout of the TETRA mast network; and what plans the Government has to ensure inter-operability and improve communications between the police and the other emergency services. [86846]

Mr. McNulty: Airwave is the new radio communications system for the police service in England, Wales and Scotland. The rollout of the TETRA mast network is the responsibility of O2 Airwave who own the network. The network is already in place. Officers across the country using the network
24 July 2006 : Column 1132W
are able to communicate directly with each other, regardless of location. The other emergency services are currently updating their radio communications networks on a national basis and will also be using the Airwave service. When their new systems are fully operational their communications systems will interoperate seamlessly with the police network. Existing interoperability arrangements on the old radios used by the services will be maintained until the new systems are fully operational.

Community Punishments

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of community punishments in each region were completed in each year since 2001; in how many cases a period of imprisonment was then imposed for the original offence; and if he will make a statement. [86951]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information for England and Wales on the completion rates the main types of community sentence, for each year since 1994, can be found in Table 5.1 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library. Information on the numbers and percentages of those given immediate custody for breach of the main types of community sentence can be found in Table 5.5 of the same publication. Provisional data on completion rates in 2005 has been published in the latest Offender Management Caseload Quarterly Brief (October to December 2005) which is available on the Home Office website. The reliability of this data at the regional level is not sufficiently robust for publication.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Community Support Officers

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers are in training; what the cost is per person for such training; and if he will make a statement. [86313]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers are employed in Lancashire. [88269]

Mr. McNulty: At the end of September 2005 Lancashire constabulary had 159 police community support officers (PCSOs). With the additional funding we are providing in 2006-07 Lancashire has a target to reach a total of 417 PCSOs by April 2007.

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers were in training in Humberside Police Authority area on the last date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [86905]


24 July 2006 : Column 1133W

Mr. McNulty: Humberside Police are currently in the process of training 34 police community support officers (PCSOs). They expect to train 195 during 2006-07.

Controlled Drugs

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to a re-assignment of the duties of the inspectorate responsible for controlled drugs; and if he will make a statement. [87264]

Mr. Coaker: The Home Office continues to examine ways of improving and streamlining existing Home Office licensing and inspection activities but no final decisions have yet been made.

Correspondence

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the hon.
24 July 2006 : Column 1134W
Member for North-West Norfolk’s correspondence of 30 January regarding the handling of complaints by the Prison Service about prison governors. [66562]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I met with the hon. Gentleman on 12 July to discuss the various issues raised in his correspondence. I will write to him shortly to cover a range of related matters.

Council Tax

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average Band D police precept on council tax was in each year since 1997-98 in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) England and Wales. [66294]

Mr. McNulty: The information is set out in the following table:

Average Band D council tax of police authorities for England and Wales in real terms at 2004-05 prices
£
1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

England(1)

65

68

72

77

84

94

115

126

130

134

Wales(1)

57

65

74

89

93

98

118

133

135

139

England and Wales(1)

64

68

72

77

85

94

115

126

130

134

(1) Real Term values calculated using Treasury GDP deflators as at March 2006
Notes:
England figures exclude the City of London
Source:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and National Assembly for Wales

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were sent to prison for non-payment of council tax in each year since 1993, broken down by age group. [83786]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on number of prisoners received into prison under non-criminal categories of imprisonment is to be found in table 7.10 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. This is a web-only table and can be found at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/omcs.html

Figures are shown for all years since 1993 for the categories community charge/council tax and rates. The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately by age group because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to British victims of terrorist attacks abroad. [83284]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We have no plans to extend the scope of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to cover injuries sustained abroad. However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are developing proposals for establishing a charitable fund to help victims of terrorist attacks overseas, and hope to be able to announce further details in the coming months.

Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drunkenness in Suffolk police force area( 1,2 ) 1997 to 2004
Offence description drunkenness with aggravation( 3)

1997

254

1998

194

1999

197

2000

202

2001

244

2002

301

2003

317

2004

293

(1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3 )Includes the offence of “drunk and disorderly” (Criminal Justice Act 1967 sec. 91) and other miscellaneous offences of drunkenness with aggravations. Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform

24 July 2006 : Column 1135W

Criminal Justice

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average period elapsed between sentencing and tariff setting in each year since 1997. [86054]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is notheld centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Custody

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of children and young adults (a) on remand and (b) after conviction have been placed in custody more than 100 miles from their home. [86205]

Mr. Sutcliffe: In October 2005, the latest date for which figures are available, 40 young people under 18 and 49 18 to 20-year-olds were placed on remand or committal for sentence more than 100 miles from home. Expressed as a percentage, 7.7 per cent. of unconvicted under-18-year-olds and 4.1 per cent. of unconvicted 18 to 20-year-olds were placed more than 100 miles from home.

As to sentenced offenders: 176 under-18-year-olds (9.5 per cent.) and 738 18 to 20-year-olds (11 per cent.) were placed over 100 miles from home.

This information is derived from the Prison Service and Youth Justice Board databases. Home address details are not held for all offenders: where the home address is not recorded, the address of the court before which he or she appeared is used as a proxy. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number and percentage of children and young adults with a mental illness while in custody in (a) 1985, (b) 1995 and (c) 2005. [86224]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is not available in the form requested. A survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales in 1997, by the Office for National Statistics, examined for five types of mental disorder: personality disorder; psychosis; neurotic disorder; drug dependence; and hazardous drinking. A copy is available in the Library.

Source:

    Psychiatric Morbidity Amongst Prisoners in England and Wales (ONS, 1998)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of self-harm and abuse of children and young adults in custody have been recorded (a) in the past 12 months and (b) since 2000, broken down by sex of victim. [86243]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information available centrally is incomplete and could be misleading, because different categories of secure establishment have used different counting methods. The Youth Justice Board is currently working with the Prison Service, operators of
24 July 2006 : Column 1136W
secure training centres and secure children's homes to agree common recording standards and reporting practices for statistical data. We believe this will both improve the quality and increase the range of available aggregated information about young people in custody.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children and young adults are in custody, broken down by (a) ethnic origin and (b) religious belief. [86249]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on (a) the ethnic origin and (b) the religious beliefs of the population in prison establishments in England and Wales by age group is given in the web-only tables 8.30 and 8.33 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004, available at the following web address.

    http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1705section8.xls

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what draft Bills have been produced by his Department since October 2005; how many were (a) examined and (b) are planned to be examined by (i) a departmental Select Committee and (ii) a Joint Committee; what draft Bills are still to be produced by his Department; when each is expected to be published; how many clauses each has; and if he will make a statement. [81311]

Mr. McNulty: Since October 2005, no draft Bills have been produced by the Home Office.

Announcements on future legislation and future draft legislation which will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny will be indicated in the Queen’s Speech.

Departmental War Room

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department's War Room was established; how many officials are allocated to it, broken down by grade; what its (a) objectives and (b) purposes are; and if he will make a statement. [81584]

Mr. Byrne: The composition of the team working on the Home Office and the Immigration Nationality Directorate reviews has varied in number and skills week by week as the project moved through phases of work.

Detention Occupancy Rates

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the occupancy rate was for each (a) prison, (b) young offenders institution, (c) secure training centre and (d) local authority secure unit in each of the past 20 years. [86248]


24 July 2006 : Column 1137W

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the occupancy rate of all prison establishments (including young offender institutions) in England and Wales between 1992 and 2006 can be found in monthly tables held by the House of Commons Library Statistical Resource Unit. Equivalent information for 1986 to 1992 cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

Information on the occupancy rate of Secure Children’s Homes in England and Wales is provided by the Department for Education and Skills. Information for 2001 to 2005 is published on their website (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/index.shtml); information for 1998 to 2000 is in the following table; earlier years are not available. Information on the occupancy rate of Secure Training Centres is not available in this form.

Secure children’s homes: occupancy rate at 31 March 1998
Percentage

All units

80

Aycliffe Centre

80

Netherton Park

56

Kyloe House

75

Sutton Place

90

Aldine House

75

East Moor CH

100

Redsands CC

88

Briars Hey CH

50

Dales House

100

Barton Moss SU

95

Dyson Hall CH

100

St. Helens/Redbank

65

Redbank CH-VH

100

St. Catherines CH

100

Watling House

42

St. Johns Safe Centre

100

Stoke House

81

125C Market St

100

Kesteven House

75

Tiffied St. John’s

100

Clayfields House

61

Salters

69

Thornbury House

67

Stamford House

94

Orchard Lodge

88

Robeson Unit

100

Pankhurst Unit

100

Swanick Lodge

50

Landsdowne CC

80

Beechfield

50

Vinney Green

82

Neath Hillside

78

Source:
Department for Education and Skills


24 July 2006 : Column 1138W
Secure children’s homes: occupancy rate at 31 March 1999
Percentage

All units

75

Aycliffe Centre

59

Kyloe House

100

Sutton Place

100

Aldine House

88

East Moor CH

83

Redsands CC

88

Dales House

50

Barton Moss SU

80

Dyson Hall CH

10

Redbank CH-SU

31

Redbank CH-VH

67

St. Catherines CH

100

Watling House

67

St. Johns Safe Centre

100

Stoke House

100

125C Market St

75

Kesteven House

75

Tiffied St. John’s

81

Clayfields House

78

Salters

100

Leverton

94

Stamford House

81

Orchard Lodge

100

Pankhurst Unit

63

Swanick Lodge

56

Landsdowne CC

60

Beechfieid

117

Vmney Green

100

Atkinson Unit

81

Neath Hillside

83

Briars Hey

Thornbury

Source:
Department for Education and Skills


24 July 2006 : Column 1139W
Secure children’s homes: occupancy rate at 31 March 2000
Percentage

All units

82

Briars Hey

75

Beechfield

83

St. Catherines CH

100

Atkinson Unit

94

Swanick Lodge

38

Clare Lodge/Salters

100

Dyson Hall CH

100

Leverton

94

Landsdowne CC

100

Redsands CC

100

Dales House

75

Aldine House

88

Kesteven House

100

Watling House

83

St. Johns/Earlswood

100

Orchard Lodge

88

Redbank NH

93

Redbank VH

86

Redbank WH

86

125C Market St/Brunel

63

Sutton Place

40

Thornbury

71

Barton Moss SU

75

Kyloe House

100

Clayfields House

89

Tiffied St. John’s

63

Vinney Green

91

Stoke House

100

Aycliffe Centre

65

East Moor CH

100

Stamford House

74

Neath Hillside

61

Source:
Department for Education and Skills

Dispersal Orders

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2006, Official Report, column 1035W, on dispersal orders, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on the number of dispersal orders authorised. [72665]

Mr. McNulty: We have been collecting the number of authorisations for dispersal powers by police force area since April 2006. This data will be collected on a quarterly basis. Data will be published later this year.

DNA Database

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), of 5 June 2006, Official Report, columns 293-4W, on the DNA database, if he will break the figures down by country making the request. [86494]

Joan Ryan: The majority of requests for the exchange of DNA information between the United Kingdom and other countries are routed through the United Kingdom National Central Bureau for Interpol (UK NCB) based at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Other channels may include bi-lateral direct liaison between law enforcement authorities; and formal mutual legal assistance channels. Exchanges of DNA information via these channels will almost always be a response to the needs of a specific criminal investigation.

Requests from international law enforcement agencies for a search of the National DNA Database are only processed where it is clear that the request is in the interest of prevention and detection of crime, national security or the data subject. They are also subject to a risk assessment, taking into account the justification for and proportionality of disclosure of the information in line with human rights. If cleared for processing, a one-off speculative search of the Database is made by the Custodian and information fed back to UK NCB.

The UK NCB is not currently able to provide data on the number of requests received from other
24 July 2006 : Column 1140W
countries but only on the number of requests processed and dealt with by the Database Custodian. As indicated in the answer of 5 June, 519 search requests have been dealt with by the Database Custodian since 2004 and responses provided back to UK NCB in each case (this includes searches of the UK DNA Database at the request of other countries as well as preparing profiles in order for UK law enforcement agencies to request searches overseas).

Data on the countries to which DNA profiles have been sent in pursuit of specific criminal investigations could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the majority of the data are not currently held electronically. This information will be available later this year following the introduction of a new data collection system (this will not apply to retrospective data).

Data are not collected on the number of exchanges of DNA information which occur through direct liaison between law enforcement authorities or formal mutual legal assistance channels.

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2006, Official Report, column 1409W, on the DNA database, if he will place in the Library the data on use of DNA for crime detection in 2005-06. [86496]

Joan Ryan: Data provided to the Home Office by police forces indicates that there were 20,349 direct DNA detections in 2005-06 i.e. there were 20,349 crimes detected in which a DNA match report was available. In addition, a further 19,960 crimes were detected in 2005-06 as a result of further investigations linked to the original case in which DNA was recovered. This gives a total of 40,309 detections in 2005-06 arising directly or indirectly from the DNA match, compared with 35,605 detections in 2004-05.

Drink-driving

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions for drink-driving resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by police authority. [84913]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. Information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on convictions and custodial sentences for drink-driving offences by police force area 1997 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the table.

Data for 2005 will be available early in 2007.


24 July 2006 : Column 1141W

24 July 2006 : Column 1142W
Findings of guilt and immediate custodial sentences at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs by police force area, England and Wales 1997-2004
Number of offences
1997 1998 1999
Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1) Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1) Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1)

Avon and Somerset

2,812

163

2,566

157

2,728

165

Bedfordshire

1,146

119

1,060

96

869

87

Cambridgeshire

1,092

56

1,060

62

941

43

Cheshire

1,969

97

1,903

119

1,827

133

Cleveland

926

61

870

63

811

57

Cumbria

931

49

856

51

871

37

Derbyshire

1,612

147

1,547

202

1,463

181

Devon and Cornwall

2,342

91

2,265

127

2,277

112

Dorset

1,214

93

1,186

88

1,120

96

Durham

1,044

66

1,035

53

1,137

81

Essex

2,736

228

2,438

233

2,528

261

Gloucestershire

1,067

48

985

36

889

51

Greater Manchester

4,806

440

4,715

453

4,850

464

Hampshire

3,774

243

3,597

231

3,725

213

Hertfordshire

1,670

90

1,672

91

1,679

90

Humberside

1,274

76

1,358

87

1,323

97

Kent

2,321

97

2,627

155

2,633

133

Lancashire

3,389

224

2,945

178

3,010

184

Leicestershire

1,648

183

1,485

140

1,624

188

Lincolnshire

1,088

47

979

36

941

44

London, City of

436

8

301

9

236

5

Merseyside

2,719

304

2,451

326

2,137

296

Met Police

16,165

1,270

13,889

1,050

12,414

838

Norfolk

1,116

49

1,118

43

1,010

64

Northamptonshire

1,107

109

1,062

73

1,058

91

Northumbria

2,625

184

2,457

194

2,463

229

North Yorkshire

1,365

77

1,205

77

1,124

60

Nottinghamshire

2,031

255

1,804

247

1,802

262

South Yorkshire

2,296

204

2,002

178

1,927

149

Staffordshire(2)

2,036

132

1,955

140

1,711

143

Suffolk

1,050

53

1,042

60

1,089

71

Surrey

1,380

64

1,328

58

1,417

47

Sussex

2,373

110

2,113

113

2,224

120

Thames Valley

4,070

215

3,896

195

3,725

216

Warwickshire

837

44

784

53

856

38

West Mercia

1,947

87

1,794

97

1,747

114

West Midlands

6,351

598

5,582

532

4,775

532

West Yorkshire

3,953

394

3,669

329

3,597

358

Wiltshire

1,043

27

1,108

39

1,009

45

England

93,761

6,802

86,709

6,471

83,567

6,395

Dyfed Powys

1,029

44

995

38

944

48

Gwent

1,166

61

1,203

84

1,079

78

North Wales

1,354

96

1,306

95

1,248

94

South Wales

2,892

257

2,903

239

2,526

282

Wales

6,441

458

6,407

456

5,797

502

England and Wales

100,202

7,260

93,116

6,927

89,364

6,897



24 July 2006 : Column 1143W

24 July 2006 : Column 1144W
Number of offences
2000 2001 2002
Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1) Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1) Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1)

Avon and Somerset

2,462

152

2,197

129

2,401

124

Bedfordshire

797

89

914

79

955

82

Cambridgeshire

793

41

813

51

852

41

Cheshire

1,652

122

1,529

96

1,993

103

Cleveland

777

56

887

77

921

71

Cumbria

806

50

761

51

768

37

Derbyshire

1,417

126

1,411

140

1,465

164

Devon and Cornwall

2,199

104

2,369

128

2,441

95

Dorset

1,115

84

1,150

91

1,199

83

Durham

1,124

76

1,097

86

1,136

68

Essex

2,462

237

2,456

264

2,522

267

Gloucestershire

804

37

865

39

926

44

Greater Manchester

4,801

428

4,715

454

4,720

474

Hampshire

3,472

244

3,464

235

3,846

243

Hertfordshire

1,552

98

1,666

94

1,894

90

Humberside

1,371

128

1,259

126

1,395

113

Kent

2,592

134

2,575

165

2,745

152

Lancashire

2,584

163

2,304

148

2,599

159

Leicestershire

1,531

152

1,546

140

1,659

140

Lincolnshire

816

48

877

60

847

56

London, City of

162

4

162

10

221

12

Merseyside

2,128

286

2,195

217

2,293

216

Met Police

11,801

891

11,260

928

12,905

927

Norfolk

935

45

1,143

75

1,220

55

Northamptonshire

782

90

399

65

236

35

Northumbria

2,621

215

2,529

217

2,588

188

North Yorkshire

1,073

67

1,066

55

1,119

63

Nottinghamshire

1,722

210

1,598

187

1,420

129

South Yorkshire

2,122

170

2,020

159

1,945

165

Staffordshire(2)

n/a

n/a

1,513

136

1,704

143

Suffolk

902

74

920

43

1,105

79

Surrey

1,539

61

1,592

65

1,614

68

Sussex

2,112

136

2,358

128

2,306

149

Thames Valley

3,496

212

3,275

210

4,317

219

Warwickshire

786

42

880

33

841

40

West Mercia

1,631

101

1,740

91

1,719

93

West Midlands

4,559

451

4,914

471

5,050

438

West Yorkshire

3,375

287

3,220

331

3,564

268

Wiltshire

930

28

1,045

53

1,005

54

England

79,671

6,076

78,684

6,127

84,456

5,947

Dyfed Powys

858

45

867

36

927

47

Gwent

1,211

99

1,152

76

1,074

74

North Wales

1,332

92

1,227

87

1,270

71

South Wales

2,757

255

2,812

295

2,761

236

Wales

6,158

491

6,058

494

6,032

428

England and Wales

85,829

6,567

84,742

6,621

90,488

6,375



24 July 2006 : Column 1145W

24 July 2006 : Column 1146W
Number of offences
2003 2004
Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1) Findings of guilt Immediate custody( 1)

Avon and Somerset

2,666

167

2,692

145

Bedfordshire

1,072

72

1,028

65

Cambridgeshire

933

56

1,083

52

Cheshire

1,905

110

2,128

106

Cleveland

981

61

1,071

60

Cumbria

843

37

907

50

Derbyshire

1,617

168

1,874

143

Devon and Cornwall

2,667

121

2,560

120

Dorset

1,264

73

1,239

52

Durham

1,170

77

1,277

80

Essex

2,622

311

2,853

347

Gloucestershire

890

37

913

36

Greater Manchester

4,743

437

4,811

383

Hampshire

3,663

234

3,743

199

Hertfordshire

1,904

78

1,881

94

Humberside

1,445

150

1,623

112

Kent

2,811

179

3,010

155

Lancashire

2,652

146

2,706

125

Leicestershire

1,725

143

1,754

145

Lincolnshire

1,111

42

1,209

46

London, City of

235

4

169

5

Merseyside

2,687

215

2,849

261

Met Police

12,621

922

13,227

832

Norfolk

1,274

59

1,240

64

Northamptonshire

799

65

922

73

Northumbria

2,747

187

2,675

183

North Yorkshire

1,194

51

1,131

40

Nottinghamshire

1,644

149

1,669

111

South Yorkshire

2,089

125

2,224

140

Staffordshire(2)

1,733

141

1,733

124

Suffolk

1,213

66

1,332

89

Surrey

1,464

44

1,425

51

Sussex

2,430

120

2,368

104

Thames Valley

3,884

159

3,539

190

Warwickshire

918

33

845

23

West Mercia

1,797

100

1,689

103

West Midlands

5,233

420

5,584

423

West Yorkshire

3,720

260

3,897

276

Wiltshire

1,031

62

1,024

39

England

87,397

5,881

89,904

5,646

Dyfed Powys

995

46

986

6

Gwent

1,149

94

1,188

5

North Wales

1,326

76

1,349

6

South Wales

2,840

211

2,811

35

Wales

6,310

427

6,334

52

England and Wales

93,707

6,308

96,238

5,698

n/a = not available (1) Immediate custody includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (2) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at detailed level and have been excluded from the table. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of drivers convicted of drink driving (a) received a fine, (b) received a jail sentence and (c) were banned from driving in the last year for which figures areavailable. [85897]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information taken from theCourt Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is given in the table for 2004 (latest available). Data for 2005 will be available earlyin 2007.


24 July 2006 : Column 1147W
Findings of guilt at all courts and sentence and order imposed for the offences of ‘driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs’( 1) , England and Wales, 2004
Number of offences
Number Percentage

Total findings of guilt

96,238

100

Sentence or order

Fine

66,433

69

Immediate custody(2)

6,059

6

Disqualification(3)

90,308

94

(1) Offences under Road Traffic Act 1988 s4(1) and (2), 5(1a) and (b), 6(4), 7(6), and s7A as added by Police Reform Act 2002 s56. (2) Immediate custody = detention and training order, young offender institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment. (3) Secondary disposal. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Drugs

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for drug offences in Leicester South constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by local authority ward. [86370]

Mr. McNulty: Drug offence data cannot be broken down by constituency or to a more local level. Available data relate to persons found guilty of drug offences at Leicester's crown, magistrate and youth courts and are given in the following table.

Persons( 1) found guilty of drug offences in Leicester, 2002 to 2004
Number

2002

679

2003

721

2004

669

(1) Where a person is found guilty of two or more drugs offences at the same court appearance the sentence or order shown in this table is the most severe penalty.

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the differences between figures given in the England and Wales Findings Paper 265 and the latest Home Office Drug Seizures and Offenders Statistical bulletin in relation to seizures of methadone in 2000 and cocaine and heroin in 2001. [67894]

Mr. Coaker: After a very thorough review of data, I can confirm that the figures quoted in “Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales 2003” (Findings 265) for the number of seizures of methadone in 2000 (1,010) and both number/quantity of seizures of cocaine (6,530/5,210 kg) and heroin (14,630/4,000 kg) in 2001 are correct.

Seizures data for Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise published in “Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, UK, 2001 and 2002” (Home. Office Statistical Bulletin 08/04) were restricted to seizures at the London
24 July 2006 : Column 1148W
airports. However, data presented in Findings 265 were for all Customs' seizures in England and Wales. While the number of seizures were largely unaffected, it resulted in increased overall figures for the quantity of drugs seized.

The figure quoted in Findings 265 for the quantity of methadone seized in 2000 (380 kg) is, however, incorrect. Police in England and Wales seized 91.585 kg of methadone in 2000, with Customs seizing 0.68 kg as well as 284 tablets. For the purposes of reporting the tablets should not have been included in the Findings' tables. The revised total quantity figure is 92.265 kg, which will be rounded down to 90 kg in the next “Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales” Home Office Statistical Bulletin.

Education Act

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times prosecutions have been brought by North Tyneside local education authority under section 7 of the Education Act 1996 in each of the last five years. [85376]

Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 14 July 2006]: Prosecutions for truancy related to section seven are brought under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

We do not collect prosecutions data under the Education Act 1996 by Local education authority. However, data from the Court Proceedings Database (held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform), for the Tyneside local justice area shows the number of prosecutions under the Education Act 1996 as:

Four in 2000, six in 2001, 36 in 2002,17 in 2003 and 10 in 2004. There were no prosecutions recorded specifically under sections 444(1) or 444(1 A) of the Act—though we consider the figures provided may include offences under section 444.

Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in autumn of 2006.

Electronic Tagging

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in England and Wales are electronically tagged; and how many are (a) on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme and (b) under a curfew order passed down by the courts. [75702]

Mr. Sutcliffe: According to the latest figures available, the total number of people who are subject to electronic monitoring in England and Wales is as shown in the table.

Number

(a) Home Detention Curfew Scheme (at 2 June 2006)

2,804

(b) Court-imposed curfews (at 31 May 2006)

7,692

(c) Others (at 31 May 2006)

2,378


24 July 2006 : Column 1149W

Feltham Young Offender Institution

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to satisfy himself that the (a) Governor and (b) management team at Feltham Young Offender Institution are able to carry out the recommendations of the Mubarek Report. [84403]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Mr. Justice Keith’s report into the death of Zahid Mubarek contains recommendationsto be implemented by the National Offender Management Service, Court Service, Department of Health, Department for Communities and Local Government and the police.

The recommendations do not specifically apply to Feltham prison they apply to all prisons. A full response to all the recommendations will be given within two months as stated by the Home Secretary in his statement of 29 June.

Fixed Penalty Notices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of commercial vehicles in each London borough in the last year for which figures are available. [87378]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information collected centrally by my department on motoring offences does not distinguish between the characteristics of the vehicles involved.

Foreign Prisoners

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners have claimed to be from (a) Russia, (b) Romania, (c) Georgia, (d) Armenia, (e) Azerbaijan, (f) Ukraine, (g) China, (h) Belarus, (i) Iceland, (j) the United States, (k) Canada, (l) Antarctica, (m) Argentina, (n) Chile, (o) Peru, (p) Ecuador, (q) Bolivia, (r) Brazil, (s) Uruguay, (t), Paraguay, (u) Angola, (v) Namibia, (w) Botswana, (x) Zambia, (y) Burundi, (z) Tanzania and (aa) Malawi (i) on being sentenced to a custodial sentence and (ii) on arrival in custody in each of the last nine years for which figures are available. [82237]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the number of foreign nationals who have claimed to be from the countries listed at (a)-(aa) (i) on being sentenced to a custodial sentence, and (ii) on arrival in custody in each of the last nine years is not held centrally.

In a written ministerial statement of 19 July 2006, Official Report, Columns 28-30WS, my hon. Friend the Minister of State Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality updated the House on the progress which has been made on the eight priority action areas to improve our effectiveness in deporting foreign national prisoners. He made clear that the criminal justice agencies are working together with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to ensure that information on the nationality of those who come into contact with the criminal justice system are collected as early as possible.


24 July 2006 : Column 1150W

Information on the nationality recorded on the central prison IT system for foreign nationals held in prison establishments in England and Wales is available as follows:

    1997-2002: Table 6.2 of Prison Statistics England and Wales 1997 to 2002, available from the House of Commons Library.

    2003: Table 8.27 of the web tables for Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003.

    2004: Table 8.27 of the web tables for Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004.

    2005: Detailed web table 2.14 of Population in Custody Quarterly Brief April to June 2005.

These web tables are available at the following web address.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/omcs.html

    Information is not presented separately for the following nationalities:-

    Antarctica—this is not a recognised nationality and any such records are included in unrecorded/other in the statistical tables;

    Ukraine and Belarus are not recorded separately on the current prison IT systems and are included in Russia;

Although the nationality recorded on the central prison IT system is likely to be based on prisoners' declared nationality, in some cases an individual's nationality may have been updated because of new information received.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners in each open prison were moved into closed prisons in (a) May and (b) June. [86629]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Fraud

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) will take of the National Fraud Strategy in planning its work; and whether SOCA will have specific targets for the prevention and reduction of fraud. [75258]

Mr. Coaker: We need to have a coherent strategy for preventing, detecting and bringing fraud to justice that meets our current need; this issue has been considered by the wide ranging cross Government Review of Fraud. The Home Secretary’s letter setting priorities for the Serious Organised Crime Agency in its first three years of operation has been laid before Parliament. The priorities set out there include tackling organised crime threats from fraud against individuals and the private sector. The SOCA Board has subsequently determined that approximately 10 per cent. of its overall effort should be devoted to this area.


24 July 2006 : Column 1151W

Headcam Technology

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) reliability and (b) usefulness of headcam technology in tackling crime; if he will make resources available to make this technology more widely available to the police; and if he will make a statement. [86256]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 19 July 2006]: The potential for this technology to assist in tackling crime is recognised. The Police Standards Unit, supported by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and the Police Information Technology Organisation is consequently organising and funding a six-month trial to evaluate reliability, usefulness and other aspects. The trial is planned to commence on 1 September 2006 in conjunction with Devon and Cornwall constabulary, with the intention of establishing good practice and procedure by the end of the year.

Once the results of the trial are available, an assessment will be made of the cost-benefit of making the technology more widely available to the police, in comparison with other investment options for tackling crime.

Heroin/Cocaine

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government’s policy on reducing the supply of heroin and cocaine was informed by the Strategy Unit Phase one Drugs Report of 2003; and if he will make a statement. [85575]

Mr. Coaker: The report was submitted as a contribution to a debate across Government on drug strategy, and influenced the revised supply side strategy, adopted in 2004, which has as its objective the reduction of the harms caused by drug supply to UK communities.

Hizb-Ut-Tahrir

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) the security services on the proscription of Hizb-Ut-Tahrir; and if he will make a statement. [69261]

Mr. McNulty: We do not comment on individual groups that may be possible candidates for proscription.

HM Prison Service

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is provided by HM Prison Service to governor grade staff on authorising release of prisoners (a) under the Criminal Justice Acts, (b) on temporary licence and (c) on home detention curfew; and whether this training is mandatory. [85480]

Mr. Sutcliffe: For the information about training provided by the Prison Service to governor gradestaff, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on
24 July 2006 : Column 1152W
5 June 2006, Official Report, column 295W. Since February 2003 no training has been described as mandatory: training is provided when necessary to enable an individual to fulfil a role.

Honour Crimes

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of honour crimes committed in each London borough in each of the last five years. [83679]

Mr. McNulty: Estimates on the number of honour crimes are not available from the recorded crime statistics.

Human Trafficking

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to raise awareness of human trafficking amongst the clients of prostitutes. [81612]

Mr. Coaker: On 5 January 2006, the Home Office launched a three month national consultation exercise on proposals for a UK action plan on human trafficking. A summary of responses report was published on 21 June. A number of respondents commented on the issue of raising awareness amongst those who pay for sexual services of the consequences of having sexual intercourse with a trafficked person. We intend to consider the consultation responses over the next few months with the aim of producing a final UK Action Plan by the end of the year.

During the recent, police-led operation on trafficking for sexual exploitation (called Operation Pentameter) specific awareness raising measures were undertaken. These included writing to publishing houses that have men’s magazines and pornographic titles asking for them to be informed on the issue of trafficking and for support in terms of editorial copy and advertising space. In addition, leaflets were produced and distributed at airports to raise awareness amongst men travelling to the World Cup. An article was also placed in the England supporter’s magazine ‘Fanzine’ handed out before the England football matches in Germany. The work undertaken by Operation Pentameter will be carried on by the UK Human Trafficking Centre which was announced on21 June.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of raising awareness of human trafficking amongst the clients of prostitutes. [81613]

Mr. Coaker: The recent consultation exercise on proposals for the UK Action Plan included questions on how to reduce demand for the services of trafficked persons. As part of the development of the final UK Action Plan consideration will be given to how awareness campaigns can be monitored for their effectiveness. During the course of Operation Pentameter internet websites for users of prostitutes were monitored. The monitoring demonstrated that
24 July 2006 : Column 1153W
there was an increased awareness of the issue as a direct result of the activity undertaken by Operation Pentameter.

The work undertaken by Pentameter will be carried on by the UK Human Trafficking Centre, the establishment of which was announced on 21 June.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police and (b) government officials have been seconded to the source countries of victims of human trafficking to discuss and implement prevention strategies in the last five years; and how many reciprocated secondments of staff there have been from those countries. [82668]

Mr. Coaker: It would not be appropriate to comment on the operational deployment of law enforcement staff involved in the prevention of serious organised crime.

Identity Fraud

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent meetings he has had with other members of the Government to discuss tackling identity fraud; [86649]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with experts from (a) academia, (b) the private sector and (c) the police on tackling identity fraud. [86650]

Joan Ryan: Work on identity fraud reduction is led by the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) and supported by the Identity Fraud Forum (IFF). The IFSC and IFF members come from the police, academia, the private sector and Government Departments. The IFSC and the IFF meet regularly to take forward the Government’s work on reducing identity fraud, and to co-ordinate this activity across all sectors. A number of sub-groups meets on a regular basis to identify, scope and prioritise opportunities to reduce identity fraud.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken by his Department to tackle identity fraud since July 2005; and what action is planned between July 2006 andJuly 2007. [86653]

Joan Ryan: The Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) was established in 2003 to lead a cross public/private sector work programme to tackle identity fraud and there has been a great deal of activity to reduce identity fraud in the last year.

In September 2005 we launched a leaflet which provides the public with a quick and easy guide on things to look out for that indicate that they may be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud, or that they are already a victim. The leaflet has been distributed to main police stations, public libraries, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Identity and Passport Service regional offices, local DVLA offices and all MPs to assist when engaging with constituents. An online version can be found on the identity theft website.The leaflet has been co-branded by a number of organisations such as banks and credit reference agencies who have made it available to their customers
24 July 2006 : Column 1154W
and distributed by the National Neighbourhood Watch Association. We plan to continue our identity fraud awareness during the coming year by targeting particular social groups who are more at risk of identity fraud.

In December 2005 we established a network of Single Points of Contact (SPOC) in all police forces and a range of government departments and agencies for dealing with identity fraud investigations and prosecutions. The network will continue its work and a SPOC seminar is due to take place in September 2006.

We continue to make improvements to the security of the UK Passport. In March 2006 we began the introduction of biometric passports. Roll-out of the enhanced authentication and checking of passport applications via the Personal Identity Process was completed in June 2006. The Passport Validation Service has been operating during the past year and will be extended to other organisations. The introduction of interviews for first time adult passport applicants will also help to reduce identity fraud.

On 10 May 2006 we introduced an amendment to the Police and Justice Bill to allow information on the recently deceased to be shared with law enforcement agencies, and other organisations to be specified by order, to prevent the identities of deceased people being used to commit fraud. Subject to Royal Assent the sharing of death information will commence around July 2007.

On 7 June 2006 we brought into force the offences in the Identity Cards Act 2006 which create new criminal offences of being in possession of or controlling false identity documents. Investigation of offences under these provisions is already underway.

On 17 July 2006 the Home Office published a consultation document on combating organised and financial crime which includes proposals to improve the use of public and private sector data to prevent crime, in particular fraud and identity fraud. The consultation will finish on 17 October 2006.

Improving identity management and the development of ID cards are essential components in the fight against identity fraud and this work will continue next year.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much his Department spent on tackling identity fraud through public awareness campaigns in 1997 in each (a) year since and (b) month since July 2005; [86654]

(2) what advice his Department has issued to the public on steps to combat identity fraud. [86651]

Joan Ryan: The Home Office became responsible for identity fraud in 2003 following the Cabinet Office report Identity Fraud: A Study, published in 2002. We established the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) to lead a public-private sector work programme to tackle identity fraud. The IFSC set up a website www.identitytheft.org.uk which explains to the public how to keep personal information safe, how to get help if one is the victim of identity theft, and what is being done to tackle this growing crime. The website was set up and is maintained without Government funding.


24 July 2006 : Column 1155W

Information on identity fraud is also available as a leaflet which provides the public with a quick and easy guide on things to look for that indicate they may be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud, and what to do if they are already a victim. The leaflet has been distributed to main police stations, public libraries, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Identity and Passport Service regional offices, local DVLA offices and all MPs (to assist when engaging with constituents). An online version can be found on the identity theft website. The leaflet has been co-branded by a number of organisations such as banks and credit reference agencies, who make it available to their customers. The leaflet has also been distributed by the National Neighbourhood Watch Association.

The Home Office spent £24,956.08 on identity fraud awareness campaign material in the financial year 2005-06 (the first year in which we paid for such material). There has been no expenditure so far this year; further activity is planned.

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Humberside police authority area were (a) charged with and (b) victims of identity fraud in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. [86907]

Joan Ryan: The Government take the problem of identity fraud very seriously. There is no single offence of identity fraud. On seven June 2006 we brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which created new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document for establishing registrable facts about another person, such as name, address, date of birth and other personal details, and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse. Investigation of offences under these provisions is already under way and statistics on the number of prosecutions and convictions will be published in due course.

There is also a range of other criminal offences to combat identity fraud. These include, for example, the offences in the Theft Acts of 1968 and 1978 of obtaining property by deception (property includes money), obtaining services by deception and obtaining a money transfer by deception. The number of these offences that were committed using a false or stolen identity is not recorded centrally and it is not possible to provide such figures for Humberside or any other area. However, identity theft and identity fraud questions were incorporated into the British Crime Survey in 2005 and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Immigration and Nationality Directorate officials failed security checks subsequent to their first day of employment in the Directorate in each year since 1997. [73692]


24 July 2006 : Column 1156W

John Reid: It is not possible to provide this information in the form requested.

Intercept Evidence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expects to conclude its review of the use of intercept evidence in court; and if he will make a statement. [86805]

Mr. McNulty: As my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, told the House on 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1312, further Home Office-led work on possible legal models for evidential use of intercept will report to Ministers in November.

John Lennon Airport

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a permanent police presence at John Lennon International Airport, Liverpool. [69433]

Mr. McNulty: John Lennon International Airport is not designated for policing purposes under the Aviation Security Act 1982. There is therefore no statutory requirement for the Chief Constable of Merseyside police to provide a permanent police presence. The level and nature of the policing resource at the airport is at the discretion of the Chief Constable.

Juvenile Detainees

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of vulnerable and at-risk children and young adults in (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) local authority secure units. [86277]

Mr. Sutcliffe: An initial assessment of vulnerability of under-18 offenders is carried out, before sentence, by the youth offending team . Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board show that during the period April 2004 to March 2005 the number of young people who were assessed as vulnerable in this way and subsequently placed in a young offender institution was 3,370. All young people placed in a secure training centre or a secure children's home are considered vulnerable, either on account of their age or because of other risk factors.

Vulnerability is a concept which embraces a wide range of possible factors, including physical and mental health and other special needs. Young people assessed as vulnerable by the youth offending team are not all at high risk. Also, the degree of vulnerability may change in the course of their period in custody. The youth offending team's assessment is therefore only a starting point. While the most vulnerable young people are accommodated in establishments with high staff-to-trainee ratios, safeguarding arrangements are in place in all establishments.

There is no formal definition of vulnerability for adult offenders and consequently no estimate has been made of young adults falling within this category.
24 July 2006 : Column 1157W
However, there are systems in place to identify and assist vulnerable adult offenders in custody.

Local Authority Secure Units

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where each local authority secure unit is located; and how many places are available in each. [86278]

Mr. Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.

There are currently 21 secure children's homes, 19 of which are provided by local authorities, operating in England and one in Wales. The location and number of places available in each of these homes as at 31 March 2005 is as shown in the following table:

Places approved at 31 March 2005 by individual secure children's home—England and Wales
Name of secure children’s home Location Number of places approved

Beechfield

West Sussex

5

St. Catherines / Laboure House

St. Helens

15

Atkinson Unit

Devon

15

Swanwick Lodge

Hampshire

15

Clare Lodge / Salters

Peterborough

15

Gladstone House / Dyson Hall

Liverpool

20

Leverton Hall

Essex

15

Lansdowne SU

East Sussex

Aldine House

Sheffield

10

Lincolnshire SU

Lincolnshire

10

Watling House

Staffordshire

10

Orchard Lodge

Southwark

25

Redbank

St. Helens

30

Sutton Place SC

Kingston-upon-Hull

10

Barton Moss SCC

Salford

20

Kyloe House

Northumberland

10

Clayfields House

Nottinghamshire

20

Tiffield St. John's

Northamptonshire

15

Vinney Green SU

South Gloucestershire

25

Aycliffe Centre

County Durham

45

East Moor SU

Leeds

35

Neath Hillside

Neath Port Talbot

20

Notes: 1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Numbers between 1 and 4 are shown as a dash. 3. Redbank includes three units: Newton House, Vardy House and Willows House. 4. At March 2005 all homes were LA managed apart from St. Catherines which was managed by a voluntary provider. 5. Orchard Lodge transferred to an independent provider in March 2006. 6. The figures are from the 2004-05 DfES annual survey of secure children's homes (SA1).

M56

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been caught speeding in the roadworks on the slip road of junction seven of the M56 since 2001; and what total amount of fines they have paid. [84884]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on speeding fines paid in respect of offences at specific locations is not held centrally.


24 July 2006 : Column 1158W

Mentally Ill Prisoners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are taken by the Prison Service to liaise with mental health authorities to ensure continuity of care and post-release treatment for former prisoners with mental illnesses. [86232]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Offenders with identified mental health problems are subject to the Care Programme Approach (CPA) during their stay in prison and on release. CPA enables the planning of treatment and continuity of mental health care for the individual. It is supported in prisons through NHS mental health teams, comprising over 360 staff in England. This means that on release from prison offenders needing CPA should have a care plan and, pre-release, the prison mental health in-reach team inform and share information with the individual’s local GP.

For those prisoners with identified severe and enduring mental illness, the prison will also contact the individuate community mental health team at the pre-release stage.

The Offender Mental Health Care Pathway (DH, 2005) sets out best practice for commissioners and providers of mental health services for those in the criminal justice system. It is available on the Department of Health’s website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/22/32/04102232.pdf

Motoring Offences

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the five most common driving offences were for which (a) men and (b) women were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted in each constituency in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [85518]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information required is not available centrally at constituency level.

Murderers

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted murderers have been sentenced since the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. [86052]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Section 269 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which relates to the determination of a minimum term in relation to mandatory life sentences came into force on 18 December 2003, and figures reported to the Home Office show that 371 persons were sentenced for murder between that date and 31 December 2004, the latest date for which sentencing information is currently available.

Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.

We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing data on court sentencing and how this might be improved.


24 July 2006 : Column 1159W

Operation Pentameter

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value was of assets seized under Operation Pentameter. [82666]

Mr. Coaker: At present it is not possible to provide total values, since operations are still ongoing. The confirmed cash seized to date totals around £200,000.

Overseas HGVs

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers of heavy goods vehicles from overseas have (a) committed and (b) been prosecuted for traffic offences on British roads in each of the last three years. [86121]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information is not collected centrally on offending drivers of foreign registered vehicles who breach road traffic regulations.

Partnership Working

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to foster partnership working. [74611]

Mr. McNulty: Partnership working is central to the delivery of Home Office business. The National Community Safety Plan provides a clear statement of community safety priorities for local partners. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) are well established as the primary local delivery vehicle for community safety work. Earlier this year, the Government published a review of CDRPs, with the aim of further improving their effectiveness and strengthening their accountability to the communities they serve. Partnership working is also at the heartof neighbourhood policing. As part of the neighbourhood policing initiative the police will work with local partners and communities to tackle local priority issues. At the national level, the Home Office is working with stakeholders to ensure that neighbourhood policing is integrated into the wider community safety agenda.

The National Offender Management Service is giving high priority to fostering partnership working as part of its work to reduce re-offending, including through the Civic Society, Corporate and Faith, Community and Voluntary Sector Alliances.

Working with a range of external partners is vital for delivery of ‘Integration Matters’, our strategy for refugee integration. We recognise that statutory and voluntary sector organisations are best placed to help us to remove the barriers that can prevent refugees from integrating into their new communities. Partnership working is also essential for the National Refugee Integration Forum (NRIF). This body brings together 32 individuals with a range of experiences and perspectives in delivering refugee integration, and is tasked to review our work and ensure that we are delivering on the action plan set out in the strategy.


24 July 2006 : Column 1160W

Placements

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many placements are provided for vulnerable and at risk children and young adults by the (a) private and (b) public sector. [86242]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Youth Justice Board commissions 2,844 places for boys in 13 young offender institutions and 75 places for girls in four special units. It also commissions 274 places in secure training centres and 235 in secure children’s homes. Younger and more vulnerable sentenced young people and those subject to court-ordered secure remands are placed into secure training centres or secure children’s homes. All of the secure training centre places are provided by the private sector and all but one of the secure children’s homes are in the public sector. Eleven of the 13 young offender institutions for boys and all four special units for girls are in the public sector. There are two privately run young offender institutions.

Although the most vulnerable young people are placed in secure training centres or secure children’s homes, all establishments are able to accommodate young people who have some degree of vulnerability. There are safeguarding arrangements in place at all establishments for children and young people.

There is no formal definition of vulnerability for adult offenders but prisoners may be in need of support or protection for a number of reasons. Such prisoners are managed and supported in a range of ways including being located in vulnerable prisoner units, in units or establishments dealing with prisoners convicted of certain offences such as sexual offences, segregated for their own protection or transferred to another establishment where they are not known. The management of vulnerable prisoners is a progressive process and they are not necessarily held in designated accommodation.

Police

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio of police to public was in (a) Southend and (b) each police force in(i) 1979, (ii) 1983, (iii) 1987, (iv) 1992, (v) each year from 1993 to 2004 and (vi) the last period for which figures are available. [70152]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 22 May 2006]: The information that is available for the ratio of police to 100,000 population for each police force area is provided in the table.

Information on basic command units has only been collected since 2003. In March 2003, Southend had 170 (full-time equivalent) officers per 100,000 population. This figure increased to 175 in March 2004 and 179 in March 2005.

Information on the number of police officers to population was published in the annual report of HM chief inspector of constabulary prior to 1998, but this information was based on the authorised establishment of each police force rather than its total strength and
24 July 2006 : Column 1161W
was presented as the ratio of population to each police officer. Therefore it is not possible to provide data for
24 July 2006 : Column 1162W
earlier years as it is not directly comparable with the Home Office calculations from 1998 onwards.

Police officer strength( 1) per 100,000 population( 2) , by police force area( 3) in each year from 1998 to 2005
Year ending 31 March:
Police force area 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Avon and Somerset

202.8

202.9

197.1

197.2

204.8

213.0

229.3

225.3

Bedfordshire

196.5

188.5

184.7

184.2

188.9

197.5

210.1

214.6

Cambridgeshire

183.6

178.9

171.8

178.8

186.5

195.9

197.2

194.3

Cheshire

208.4

210.8

204.3

203.8

209.2

217.2

223.6

222.9

Cleveland

266.0

254.7

252.3

253.0

262.5

294.1

313.6

304.5

Cumbria

237.2

228.8

219.9

213.0

224.0

236.6

254.0

257.3

Derbyshire

184.2

182.2

183.2

187.1

189.0

210.1

216.5

213.3

Devon and Cornwall

192.0

186.1

182.3

186.9

192.4

203.6

208.2

212.3

Dorset

192.1

186.0

188.9

195.5

197.8

205.1

208.7

210.9

Durham

249.1

257.7

256.3

262.8

266.0

281.0

288.2

293.4

Essex

193.4

189.8

183.0

178.5

180.8

186.1

192.3

198.2

Gloucestershire

198.4

197.4

199.9

208.7

209.4

218.9

228.8

230.1

Greater Manchester

269.8

264.8

263.6

268.1

279.1

297.7

322.7

320.8

Hampshire

199.1

197.1

193.1

192.9

194.8

208.5

211.2

211.6

Hertfordshire

201.5

197.8

201.1

184.3

173.7

191.0

204.3

206.0

Humberside

227.9

223.2

218.8

217.5

233.6

244.3

256.3

255.4

Kent

208.7

204.4

203.5

209.1

209.9

220.6

227.9

226.9

Lancashire

228.6

227.7

222.8

228.3

231.1

238.8

251.7

250.8

Leicestershire

213.8

214.5

214.6

217.6

223.7

232.2

246.4

246.1

Lincolnshire

193.4

184.0

178.9

191.3

188.9

190.8

188.6

185.5

London, City of

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Merseyside

296.8

297.9

289.8

290.8

293.9

302.0

303.3

318.0

Metropolitan Police

355.6

352.4

341.0

351.1

365.9

404.0

420.0

432.5

Norfolk

184.0

176.4

174.8

178.3

182.6

189.1

189.8

191.7

Northamptonshire

193.4

186.4

181.4

186.3

194.0

193.8

197.6

200.5

Northumbria

262.7

268.5

265.7

271.9

277.8

290.3

293.9

293.6

North Yorkshire

186.1

181.2

172.9

174.6

188.0

193.2

203.1

205.5

Nottinghamshire

225.1

215.5

213.7

214.2

225.9

238.8

245.0

245.0

South Yorkshire

243.9

242.8

242.5

245.4

245.8

252.2

261.0

259.8

Staffordshire

217.1

211.0

204.4

200.7

201.3

212.3

218.2

220.1

Suffolk

179.2

178.5

170.7

167.9

176.9

187.9

195.6

195.1

Surrey

207.1

211.9

226.9

191.6

184.3

182.4

183.2

184.0

Sussex

203.5

191.4

188.3

188.5

190.0

203.1

206.0

205.4

Thames Valley

182.8

179.7

178.2

175.0

176.8

186.3

195.4

198.3

Warwickshire

184.6

180.3

177.5

182.4

189.9

197.5

197.2

194.8

West Mercia

179.8

179.8

166.0

171.0

176.0

195.6

202.5

202.8

West Midlands

270.8

278.3

273.7

282.6

293.3

306.6

310.9

316.2

West Yorkshire

244.4

236.1

228.2

227.6

230.5

242.1

254.3

270.6

Wiltshire

194.9

192.0

184.6

183.6

188.7

190.4

198.5

197.5

Dyfed Powys

210.3

214.8

216.9

219.4

234.5

236.8

236.1

237.1

Gwent

221.6

223.9

226.8

229.0

239.2

243.9

248.3

259.0

North Wales

212.9

212.0

213.4

219.5

228.1

234.1

243.2

249.8

South Wales

242.3

241.2

236.1

249.6

258.7

272.7

275.5

273.4

Total 43 forces

239.9

237.2

232.6

234.0

240.4

254.4

263.8

267.2

(1) The table contains calculations based on full-time equivalent figures for police officers which have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items in these and similar tables. The police officer strength figures used to calculate the number of police officers per 100,000 population for the years 1998 to 2002 excludes those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Figures from 2003 includes those police officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore figures prior to 2003 are not comparable with figures for 2003 onwards. (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan police are combined. (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces. Therefore police to population ratios for these forces are not directly comparable for each of the years provided in the table.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the cross-government working group examining the transitional and ongoing financial arrangements for restructured police forces has met since January. [82366]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 July 2006]: The finance working group met on 12 January, 10 February and 27 April.


24 July 2006 : Column 1163W

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in determining the changes required to the police precept following the creation of a single strategic force for Wales. [82369]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 July 2006]: There are no current plans to proceed with the enforced mergers of the four Welsh forces.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who represents the Welsh Assembly on the cross-government working group which is examining the transitional and ongoing financial arrangements for restructured police forces. [82574]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 July 2006]: The head of local government finance at the Welsh Assembly Government represents the Welsh Assembly Government on the police restructuring finance working group.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much central funding has been given to the Shropshire constabulary since 1997. [85483]

Mr. McNulty: Grant is provided to the West Mercia police authority as a whole. Shropshire is one of five administrative policing divisions within the West Mercia police area. It is for the police authority and chief officer to deploy resources in line with local policing plans. I am informed by the chief constable that a significant proportion of the force budget is deployed on a force-wide basis and is not identifiable to individual areas.

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the requirement to form specialist anti-terror units within Devon and Cornwall constabulary continues to apply following recent restructuring decisions. [86033]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The chief constable is responsible for operational policing matters in Devon and Cornwall constabulary. No requirement to form specialist anti-terrorist units within Devon and Cornwall constabulary was identified prior to or following the recent police restructuring decisions.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the chief constable and acting chief constable of Cumbria and Lancashire and the chairs of their respective police authorities to discuss his proposals for merger of the forces. [86697]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 20 July 2006]: I have met the chief constable and acting chief constable of Cumbria and Lancashire constabularies and representatives of their police authorities to discuss the proposed merger of the two forces on a number of occasions, most recently on 10 July.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the Minister for Policing,
24 July 2006 : Column 1164W
Security and Community Safety in his Department plans to meet in connection with the police mergers in Wales over the next three months; and what the dates are of those meetings which have been arranged. [86880]

Mr. McNulty: Over the last two months I have held meetings and discussions with the four chief constables of Welsh forces, the four chairs of Welsh police authorities, the Minister for Social Justice and Regeneration, Edwina Hart AM, members of the Welsh Assembly's Social, Justice and Regeneration Committee, my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Wales and his Minister my hon. Friend the member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, the Welsh Group of Labour MPs, North Wales Labour MPs and the Welsh Local Government Association. I will hold further meetings as appropriate but no dates have yet been fixed.

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has (a) to reduce the requirement on police officers to fill in forms and carry out other administrative tasks and (b) to establish increased clerical support for such tasks. [83674]

Mr. McNulty: We have already made good progress on reducing the bureaucratic burdens on police officers by cutting nearly 9,000 unnecessary forms; civilianising posts; rolling out the penalty notice for disorder scheme; and ensuring that forces have the best scientific and technological support like video identity parades and electronic fingerprinting.

The Government introduced a measure in 2003 to record the amount of time that police officers spend on frontline duties in order to help to maximise the time spent on their core roles of preventing and reducing crime. More police officer time was spent on front line duties in 2004-05 (64.1 per cent.) than in 2003-04(63.6 per cent.) and we are determined to see this improvement continue, with police authorities setting robust targets for improvement.

The Home Office expects that the police service can increase this to a national average of around 72 per cent. in 2008. This will be a gain in time on frontline duties equivalent to an extra 12,000 police officers. To support this, police staff numbers have grown substantially over the last few years. In September 2005 there were 71,967 police staff, an increase of 18,956 (nearly 36 per cent.) since 1997.


24 July 2006 : Column 1165W

24 July 2006 : Column 1166W

24 July 2006 : Column 1167W
Percentage of population in prison establishments( 1) in England and Wales from a minority ethnic group( 2) by establishment
Prison Establishment 30 June 2005 31 May 2006

Acklington

4

5

Albany

10

13

Altcourse

6

7

Ashfield

11

16

Ashwell

26

33

Askham Grange

21

18

Aylesbury

44

48

Bedford

31

40

Belmarsh

45

46

Birmingham

35

37

Blakenhurst

25

23

Blantyre House

27

29

Blundeston

44

43

Brinsford

31

35

Bristol

21

20

Brixton

54

55

Brockhill

25

17

Bronzfield

34

36

Buckley Hall

14

22

Bullingdon

29

32

Bullwood Hall

29

34

Camp Hill

34

35

Canterbury

21

37

Cardiff

12

13

Castington

3

7

Channings Wood

10

12

Chelmsford

25

28

Coldingly

45

43

Cookham Wood

35

37

Dartmoor

10

10

Deerbolt

11

14

Doncaster

16

19

Dorchester

12

16

Dovegate

32

33

Dover

85

83

Downview

50

57

Drake Hall

33

34

Durham

5

8

East Sutton Park

47

49

EastwoodPark

14

11

Elmley

18

19

Erlestoke

18

21

Everthorpe

14

17

Exeter

5

6

Featherstone

35

29

Feltham

59

65

Ford

37

27

Forest Bank

12

16

Foston Hall

13

10

Frankland

12

14

Full Sutton

23

24

Garth

22

17

Gartree

21

22

Glen Parva

24

27

Gloucester

13

17

Grendon (Spring Hill)

28

26

Guys Marsh

19

24

Haslar

78

81

Haverigg

12

12

Hewell Grange

41

32

Highdown

43

34

Highpoint North

48

38

Highpoint South

45

46

Hindley

16

14

HollesleyBay

34

30

Holloway

43

41

Holme House

6

10

Hull

8

8

Huntercombe

42

42

Kingston (Portsmouth)

16

18

Kirkham

16

9

Kirklevington

13

16

Lancaster

4

5

Lancaster Farms

11

11

Latchmere House

37

38

Leeds

19

21

Leicester

19

29

Lewes

12

15

Leyhill

17

16

Lincoln

6

11

Lindholme

27

29

Littlehey

16

20

Liverpool

10

13

LongLartin

31

37

Low Newton

9

7

Lowdham Grange

28

35

Maidstone

35

35

Manchester

22

25

Moorland

22

22

Moorland Open

18

23

Morton Hall

66

56

Mount

54

57

New Hall

9

9

North Sea Camp

18

17

Northallerton

11

11

Norwich

18

18

Nottingham

23

20

Onley

28

31

Pare

8

9

Parkhurst

32

31

Pentonville

54

49

Peterborough

17

22

Portland

41

37

Preston

12

10

Ranby

16

23

Reading

20

25

Risley

13

13

Rochester

42

43

Rye Hill

35

39

Send

39

33

Shepton Mallet

11

10

Shrewsbury

17

19

Stafford

18

20

Standford Hill

35

43

Stocken

22

24

Stoke Heath

21

20

Styal

10

11

Sudbury

26

28

Swaleside

40

38

Swansea

5

5

Swinfen Hall

31

32

Thorn Cross

19

22

Usk (Frescoed)

8

6

Verne

43

53

Wakefield

14

15

Wandsworth

42

42

Warren Hill

32

35

Wayland

32

33

Wealstun

19

25

Weare

40

Wellingborough

32

41

Werrington

23

26

Wetherby

18

16

Whatton

10

14

Whitemoor

28

28

Winchester

12

16

Wolds

13

14

Woodhill

27

31

Wormwood Scrubs

60

57

Wymott

10

8

Total

25

26

(1) Percentages are calculated as proportion of prisoners recorded as BME against total prisoners. (2) Ethnicity is recorded on the basis of voluntary self-declaration

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the number of tourists to an area is considered in the annual grant calculation for police constabularies. [84737]

Mr. McNulty: No. The police funding formula was reviewed in 2005. It was concluded that data used in the tourism indicator were out of date. The use of more recent information was considered but this was unsatisfactory for inclusion in the new police formula.

Representatives from ACPO and the APA and the wider policing community were involved in the review. A full consultation on options for change took place last summer. All representations received were fully taken into account.

Overall, Dorset has benefited from the revised formula changes and their position was protected further by the application of a virtually flat rate grant increase for all police authorities for 2006-07.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the status is of the proposed merger between the Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies; and if he will make a statement. [85903]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 17 July 2006]: As my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, made clear on12 July 2006, Official Report, column 1383, the merger of Lancashire and Cumbria police forces will not be taking place.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the cost of amalgamating Cumbria and Lancashire police authorities; and how much will be provided by his Department in the form of Pathfinder support to cover the costs of amalgamation. [82967]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 July 2006]: Cumbria and Lancashire police authorities have withdrawn their agreement to voluntary amalgamation.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department what role the expected harmonisation of council tax precepts played in the Government’s decision not to proceed with police force mergers. [86845]


24 July 2006 : Column 1168W

Mr. McNulty: The proposed voluntary merger between Cumbria and Lancashire constabularies could not go ahead because it was not possible to resolve all outstanding issues, including harmonisation of the council tax precept, to the satisfaction of the two authorities concerned. They therefore do not wish to proceed with their voluntary merger.

With regard to other mergers, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, made it clear on 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1059, that he did not wish to proceed with enforced mergers.

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of Statefor the Home Department how many police officers in (a) Humberside, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) West Yorkshire police authority area were involved in preparation work for the merger of the forces; how many hours of work were devoted to that work; how much the exercise cost; and if he will make a statement. [86906]

Mr. McNulty: This is a matter for the police forces and police authorities concerned and the information is not held centrally.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase funding to police constabularies for more (a) police officers and (b) community support officers on the beat. [88270]

Mr. McNulty: In November last year we announced a two-year funding settlement for police authorities in England and Wales. The increase in 2006-07 enabled a broadly flat-rate increase of 3.1 per cent. for each police authority. A provisional grant increase of 3.6 per cent. was announced for 2007-08. The utilisation of all available resources is a matter for the police authorities and chief officers of police.

We are also putting substantial resources into neighbourhood policing and police community support officers (PCSOs). With the £91 million from the Chancellor in the Budget, we are expecting to allocate over £220 million to police authorities this financial year to increase PCSO numbers to 16,000 by April 2007.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent already in relation to the proposed mergers between Lancashire and Cumbria police constabularies. [88268]

Mr. McNulty: The costs incurred by Lancashire and Cumbria police forces and police authorities are a matter for the bodies concerned and the information is not held centrally.

With regard to Home Office costs, it is not possible to identify separately those relating specifically to the proposed merger of Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent in relation to the proposed merger between the Yorkshire police forces. [88382]


24 July 2006 : Column 1169W

Mr. McNulty: The costs incurred by Yorkshire and Humberside police forces and police authorities are a matter for the bodies concerned and the information is not held centrally.

With regard to Home Office costs, it is not possible to identify separately those relating specifically to the proposed merger of the Yorkshire and Humberside police forces.

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Government have spent on the planned merger of the four Welsh police forces; and if he will make a statement. [89024]

Mr. McNulty: The costs incurred by the Welsh police forces and police authorities are a matter for the bodies concerned and the information is not held centrally.

With regard to Home Office costs, it is not possible to identify separately those relating specifically to the proposed merger of the Welsh police forces.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department allocated for the police force restructuring consultation; and if he will make a statement. [89109]

Mr. McNulty: The consultation exercise on police force mergers was part of routine Home Office business and no dedicated funds were set aside for this purpose.

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006, Official Report, column 1046W, on the police, what the (a) term and (b) negotiated price over the term is of each contract with the consultants employed by his Department to advise on police force amalgamations. [75222]

Mr. McNulty: The term of work for consultants employed to work on police force restructuring was15 working days (16 January to 6 February). However, the term of work for some consultants exceeded this due to additional days worked. The negotiated price for the consultants varied from firm to firm and the level and specialism of personal within the firm that was employed.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether funding for the proposed single Welsh police force will be equivalent to the combined total of the funding for the four Welsh police constabularies in 2006-07. [78871]

Mr. McNulty: There are no current plans to proceed with the enforced mergers of the four Welsh forces.

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the merits of the use of (a) anaesthetic, (b) malodorant and (c) calmative gases by police and security services. [85404]

John Reid: The Home Office Scientific Development Branch has carried out desk-based research into the area of calmatives, including anaesthetics, and malodorants. It concluded that neither calmatives nor
24 July 2006 : Column 1170W
malodorants currently meet the police requirements. Calmatives carry additional health risks compared to alternative options and malodorants do not appear to offer any tactical advantage over existing incapacitants available to the police. Further research will only be carried out on either of these areas if there are significant advances in the available technology.

Further details of this research can be found in chapter 9 of Fourth Report of the Research Programme into Alternative Policing Approaches Towards the Management of Conflict. This report is available on the Northern Ireland Office website (www.nio.gov.uk).

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian staff each division of Greater Manchester police has had in each year since 1997. [86707]

Mr. McNulty: The available information is set outin the following table for 2003, 2004 and 2005. Comparable data on police officers and police civilian staff by BCU have only been available since 2003.

The year on year figures for Greater Manchester basic command units are not comparable because of changes to deployment in respect of Manchester airport and the centralisation of dog handlers in Greater Manchester police in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Deployment to basic command units and other specialist units is an operational matter for the chief constable.

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received in relation to police numbers in Greater Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [86708]

Mr. McNulty: No specific representations have been received in relation to police numbers in Greater Manchester.

Prison Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults in penal institutions there were for (a) adults, (b) children and young people in each of the last 20 years, broken down into (i) prisoner on prisoner, (ii) staff on prisoner, (iii) prisoner on staff; and what the ratio was of total assaults to the relevant prisoner population in each year. [86245]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested can be provided reliably for only part of the period requested.


24 July 2006 : Column 1171W
Number of assaults
Prisoner on prisoner Prisoner on officer

Aged 21 years and over

1997

1,308

722

1998

2,240

1,093

1999

3,310

1,165

2000

3,578

1,112

2001

3,754

1,341

2002

4,386

1,442

2003

5,052

1,482

2004

5,557

1,631

2005

6,203

1,870

Aged under 21 years

1997

925

285

1998

1,957

475

1999

3,789

634

2000

6,254

774

2001

7,224

838

2002

7,184

847

2003

6,549

785

2004

6,532

839

2005

9,074

1,082

Notes:
These figures are a subset of the total number of assaults recorded in that they contain identified assailants.
The recording of assaults on prisoners by staff has been unsynchronised on this system and it is not possible to produce figures that can be substantiated.

Rates of assault per 1000
Prisoner on Prisoner Prisoner on officer

Aged 21 years and over

1998

39

19

1999

58

20

2000

62

19

2001

63

23

2002

69

23

2003

77

23

2004

83

24

2005

91

27

Aged under 21 years

1998

255

62

1999

489

82

2000

845

105

2001

979

114

2002

960

113

2003

893

107

2004

839

108

2005

1,155

138

Notes:
Rates are produced for only the more recent accurate assault totals.

Prisoners

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) prisoners, (b) prison officers and (c) prison governors were from non-white ethnic groups in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) prison and (ii) ethnic group; and if he will make a statement. [82936]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the percentage of minority ethnic prisoners and prison officer grades and operational managers (for public sector prison establishments) is provided in the following table. Information on the ethnic breakdown from prisoners prior to June 2005 is not available on a comparable basis because the new ethnic categories based on the 2001 Census were introduced into the prison IT system
24 July 2006 : Column 1172W
in 2003 and information by these new categories was available from the middle of 2005.

Information on the ethnic breakdown of staffing in the contracted estate is not routinely collected and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The data on staffing by public sector prison establishment, which are obtained from the Prison Service Personnel Corporate Database, are not shown separately for prison officers and operational managers because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.

The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Number of visitors arrested Number of prisoners found guilty at adjudication of smuggling rugs through visits

1998-99

115

(1)

1999-2000

118

(1)

2000-01

76

(1)

2001-02

90

167

2002-03

49

122

2003-04

67

92

2004-05

48

114

2005-06

44

120

(1) Figures not available

Prisons

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were released on temporary licence from each prison in the London area in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement. [74012]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the annual numberof releases on temporary licence from prison establishments in England and Wales between 1994 and 2004 is published in table 10.6 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately by month and establishment because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.

Release on temporary licence (ROTL) enables prisoners to participate in precisely defined and specific activities, which cannot be provided in prison, that directly contribute to their resettlement into the community and their development of a purposeful, law-abiding life.

All prisoners are rigorously risk assessed before release on temporary licence and prisoners are not released if there are concerns for public safety.

Full details of the eligibility criteria are set out in Prison Service Order 6300 Release on Temporary Licence which is available on the HM Prison Service website.

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006, Official Report, column 819W, on prisons, what
24 July 2006 : Column 1173W
categories of offences had been committed by each of the 33 foreign national prisoners who absconded from Ford Prison in 2006; what the term of the prison sentence was of each; whether the prisoner was (a) being considered for enforcement proceedings by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, (b) going to be deported and (c) remains at large in each case; and on what date each escaped. [77861]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is notheld centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 1056W, on prisons, what estimate he has made of the cost of answering the question. [84671]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Just over 3,100 prisoners are currently being held in open prisons. To examine each prisoner's record would result in a resource cost well in excess of the £600 limit that Government Departments are advised is considered disproportionate.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in prison (a) have mental health problems, (b) are veterans and (c) are veterans with mental health problems; and if he will make a statement. [84854]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The prevalence of mental health problems among prisoners is considerably higher than for the general population. The most reliable evidence comes from the 1997 ONS study of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners which found that 90 per cent. of prisoners have at least one significant mental health problem, including personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence (Singleton et al, 1998).

Data from a Home Office survey of over 2,000 prisoners nearing release found that 5.6 per cent. were veterans of the armed forces (cited in Dandeker et al, 2003). Of these 85 per cent. had been in the Army, four per cent. in the RAF, and 11 per cent. in the Navy. However, there are no estimates available of the proportion of veterans in custody who have mental health problems.

    References:

    Singleton, N., Meltzer, R., Gatward, R. with Coid. J., Deasy, D (1998).

    Psychiatric morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales.

    Office for National Statistics.

    Dandeker, C., Wessely, S., Iverson, A. and Ross, J. (2003).

    Improving the Delivery of Cross Departmental Support and Services for Veterans.

    A joint report of The Department of War Studies and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL). Available on line:

    http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/Reports/ReportsForVeterans/ImprovingTheDeliveryOfCrossDepartmentalSupportAndServicesForVeterans.htm.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) rules, (b) instructions
24 July 2006 : Column 1174W
and (c) administrative practice are within the Prison Service governing the use of (i) handcuffs and (ii) other physical constraints on pregnant women attending maternity and other appointments in hospitals outside prison; and if he will make a statement. [85570]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The policy on the use of mechanical restraints is contained in the Prison Service’s national security framework. Any use of restraints is based upon a thorough security risk assessment of the individual prisoner and this includes pregnant women. Where a need to use restraints is identified, the general expectation is that the restraints will be removed upon arrival at the hospital and not re-applied until the prisoner is ready to be returned to prison.

Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of intensive treatment programmes for prisoners with moderate to severe drug misuse problems and related offending behaviour in the West Midlands. [85589]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Seven intensive drug treatment programmes for prisoners are delivered in the West Midlands area. Research shows that intensive drug treatment programmes can reduce re-offending by 10-15 per cent. below predicted levels, where effective aftercare arrangements are made.

Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the availability of class A drugs in prison establishments; and what action he is taking to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons. [85591]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The best measure of drug misuse in prisons is provided by the random mandatory drug testing programme. The percentage positive rate for Class A drugs in 2005-06 was 4 per cent.

A comprehensive series of measures is in place to reduce the availability of drugs, from which establishments draw, based on local need.

Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for supplying illegal drugs in prisons in the West Midlands in each year since 1998. [85592]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Decisions to prosecute are taken bythe Crown Prosecution Service and the number of prosecutions undertaken is not collated by NOMS. The number of visitors arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs and the number of prisoners found guilty at adjudication of offences involving drug smuggling through visits in prisons in the West Midlands is given in the following table.


24 July 2006 : Column 1175W
Number
Visitors arrested Prisoners found guilty at adjudication of smuggling drugs through visits

1998-99

115

(1)

1999-2000

118

(1)

2000-01

76

(1)

2001-02

90

167

2002-03

49

122

2003-04

67

92

2004-05

48

114

2005-06

44

120

(1) Figures not available.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 2031W, on prisons, what estimate he has made of the cost of seeking the information necessary to answer the question, broken down by main cost area. [86911]

Mr. Sutcliffe: To obtain the information requested, each recaptured prisoner’s file would have to be examined by the prison now holding them and enquiries made with both the police and the courts to check whether the prisoner is subject to further proceedings. The estimated resource cost of such enquiries would be in excess of the £600 limit recommended by HM Treasury.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons have (a) permanent and (b) temporary accommodation providing facilities for visitors. [86956]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Records held centrally on facilitiesfor visitors do not differentiate between permanentand temporary accommodation. In excess of 130 establishments have access to recognised facilities for visitors. It is recognised that these vary considerably in the amenities and the services which they are able to provide.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the provision of facilities for visitors to HM prisons; and if he will make a statement. [86957]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Prison Service policy states that all visits should take place in the most humane conditions possible, with regard to the physical environment in which visits take place as well as the treatment of visitors.

Responsibility for the provision of facilities to prisoners is devolved to governing Governors. Local practice in the range of facilities and services offered to visitors varies from one prison to another depending on the location of the prison, the needs of the visitor and security considerations. They include visitors’ centres, play areas in visitors’ centres and visits halls, family and children visits, and family contact workers.

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times illegal drugs have been found in each prison in London in each of the past five years. [87147]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Prison Service does not hold centrally data on drugs' finds broken down by type of drug.


24 July 2006 : Column 1176W

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of suspected fraud have been investigated in (a) each London prison and (b) the London area office of the prison service in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [87439]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table relates to formal investigations commissioned in the London area (including by London area office), due to suspected fraud, in each of the past five financial years.

Investigations commissioned in the London area
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Total

Brixton

1

3

4

Feltham

3

3

2

2

2

12

Holloway

1

3

1

1

6

L/House

1

1

Pentonville

1

6

2

9

Wandsworth

4

3

1

8

W/Scrubs

3

4

2

9

Area office

1

2

3

Total

8

22

10

9

3

52


Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of managed moves within the Prison Service for the year from1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 were approved by (a) the Director of Operations, (b) the Deputy Director General, (c) the Director General and (d) by other officials. [87441]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The official who approves a managed move within the Prison Service is not recorded centrally and information could be collected only at disproportionate cost. The level at which such moves are approved is set out in a Prison Service Order (number 8110).

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Prison Service Fraud Response Plan was last updated; and if he will place a copy of the plan in the Library. [87442]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Fraud Response Plan forms part of the Prison Service Anti-Fraud Strategy, which was last updated in September 2004 and published as a Prison Service Order (PSO) on 8 October 2004. The Prison Service Audit Committee reviews the anti-fraud strategy annually.

The Libraries of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords receive copies of PSOs shortly after their publication.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken in response to the latest report from HM chief inspector of prisons into conditions at HM Prison Lincoln. [66570]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Prison Service has produced an action plan, which responds to each recommendation in Her Majesty's chief inspectorate of prison’s report. The action plan details whether the Prison Service accepts the recommendation, what will be done to implement it, the person or department responsible
24 July 2006 : Column 1177W
and a timescale. This action plan will be updated approximately 12 months after the report’s publication date of 15 February 2006.

Probation (Hertfordshire)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expenditure on staffing in the Hertfordshire probation area in 2004-05 was. [16233]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The total salary costs recorded in the accounts of Hertfordshire Probation Board for 2004-05, are £6,194,000, including employer’s national insurance and pension contributions.

Reading Training for Work Programme

Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders have come into contact with the Reading Training for Work Programme in each year since 2003. [84810]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Her Majesty’s Young Offenders Institute Reading do not keep separate records of the number of young offenders who have come into contact with the National Grid Young Offender Programme.


24 July 2006 : Column 1178W

Ritual Abuse

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of ritual abuse have (a) been reported and (b) resulted in (i) arrests and (ii) charges in each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [87332]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally. Ritual abuse cannot be separately identified from offences against the person in either the recorded crime statistics or the court proceedings statistics.

Robberies/Burglaries (London)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) robberies and (b) burglaries were reported in each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in a conviction. [86792]

Mr. McNulty: Data collected centrally do not track individual offences to conclusion. Recorded offences are counted on the basis of crimes committed and are available by financial year for each London borough. Convictions are counted on the basis of offenders and are available by calendar year for each London court.

The available information is given in the tables.


24 July 2006 : Column 1179W

24 July 2006 : Column 1180W
Offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police for each Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership
Burglary
2001-02( 1) 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

2,220

2,012

2,240

2,175

1,921

Barnet

3,954

4,039

3,978

4,045

4,363

Bexley

2,394

2,341

2,226

1,986

2,366

Brent

4,099

3,859

4,062

3,987

3,904

Bromley

3,580

3,596

3,472

3,776

3,926

Camden

5,857

5,884

4,843

4,171

4,108

City of Westminster

5,646

5,264

4,296

4,497

4,158

Croydon

4,131

4,115

3,769

3,230

3,582

Ealing

4,533

4,543

4,375

4,350

4,999

Enfield

4,411

4,301

3,865

3,528

3,844

Greenwich

2,794

2,986

3,080

2,970

3,209

Hackney

4,287

4,807

4,327

3,897

3,547

Hammersmith and Fulham

2,789

3,089

2,827

3,023

3,052

Haringey

4,803

4,356

4,115

4,084

3,841

Harrow

2,623

2,736

2,626

2,178

2,446

Havering

2,567

2,386

2,161

2,315

2,453

Hillingdon

3,643

3,569

3,183

3,143

3,137

Hounslow

3,192

3,374

3,450

2,969

2,982

Islington

4,567

4,429

3,957

3,681

3,683

Kensington and Chelsea

2,826

2,512

2,576

2,580

2,444

Kingston upon Thames

1,180

985

939

984

1,188

Lambeth

6,974

5,694

4,980

4,150

3,884

Lewisham

3,490

3,708

3,837

3,778

3,524

Merton

1,967

1,930

2,034

1,764

1,796

Newham

3,886

3,494

3,398

3,410

4,112

Redbridge

2,899

2,974

2,990

3,058

3,282

Richmond upon Thames

2,174

2,120

1,787

2,017

2,395

Southwark

5,016

4,885

4,556

4,411

4,143

Sutton

1,820

1,446

1,397

1,429

1,480

Tower Hamlets

3,262

3,567

3,023

3,070

3,467

Waltham Forest

4,012

3,812

3,284

3,144

3,131

Wandsworth

4,352

4,547

3,664

3,616

3,108


Robbery
2001-02( 1) 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

861

686

802

739

775

Barnet

1,335

1,059

1,082

1,211

1,226

Bexley

501

339

388

402

473

Brent

2,359

1,795

1,807

2084

2,355

Bromley

917

702

863

729

901

Camden

2,439

1,765

1,334

1,315

1,260

City of Westminster

2,763

1,752

1,437

1,505

1,577

Croydon

2,095

1,888

1,771

1,496

1,845

Ealing

2,264

1,823

1,473

1,565

2,012

Enfield

1,292

1,072

1,211

1,143

1,454

Greenwich

750

693

1,083

1,172

1,229

Hackney

3,009

2,466

2,441

1,926

1,856

Hammersmith and Fulham

1,343

1,271

1,146

1,386

1,285

Haringey

2,626

2,166

1,903

1,430

2,024

Harrow

892

613

624

699

862

Havering

549

479

512

442

459

Hillingdon

645

588

512

593

876

Hounslow

1,042

954

820

712

841

Islington

1,659

1,664

1,397

1,244

1,412

Kensington and Chelsea

1,189

673

794

792

906

Kingston upon Thames

318

305

292

257

337

Lambeth

6,465

4,017

3,298

3,021

2,998

Lewisham

1,966

1,627

1,924

1,783

2,304

Merton

634

684

584

459

625

Newham

2,400

2,150

2,242

1,939

2,501

Redbridge

1,221

1,096

1,188

1,241

1,329

Richmond upon Thames

353

291

257

376

455

Southwark

3,086

2,220

2,295

2,406

2,981

Sutton

339

276

354

231

411

Tower Hamlets

2,117

1,790

1,568

1,457

1,675

Waltham Forest

2,154

1,791

1,655

1,796

2,392

Wandsworth

1,948

1,788

1,574

1,475

1,668

(1) Because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002 figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.

Scottish Criminal Records Office

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in England and Wales fingerprint evidence has been challenged on the basis of the misidentifications made by the Scottish Criminal Records Office in the case of Shirley McKie and David Asbury. [74091]

Joan Ryan: We are unable to answer this question as the information requested is not recorded.

Sea-going Vessels (Thefts)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sea-going vessels were stolen from around the coast of the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many were recovered. [86719]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally.

Security Industry

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what structure has been put in place for the renewal and re-evaluation of door supervisor licences. [82835]

John Reid: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will not be making any major changes to the SIA licence core competency specifications for the first round of licence renewal, which commences in April 2007 with the door supervisor sector.

On first renewal of their licence, all door supervisors will have their criminality re-checked by the Criminal Records Bureau to ensure that no inappropriate criminal activity has taken place since the issue of the initial licence. They will not be required to undergo
24 July 2006 : Column 1181W
refresher training or undertake a new qualification. The core competency specifications themselves will be reviewed in due course.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for door supervisors’ licences are waiting for (a) approval and (b) processing by the Security Industry Authority. [81126]

Mr. Coaker: On the 5 July, there were 8,845 licence applications from door supervisors in the SIA’s processing system. There was also a total of 4,694 applications from all licensable sectors waiting to enter the processing system, but it is not possible to calculate how many of these were from door supervisors because they had not been opened.

Sentences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average minimum sentence was, before being considered for parole, for people convicted of (a) kidnapping, (b) rape and (c) sexual assault of children in each of the last five years. [79053]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the average custodial sentence lengths for determinate sentences for these offences is contained in the table.

Under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, those sentenced to determinate sentences of four years or more are eligible for parole half way through their sentence. If parole is not granted then release occurs at the two-thirds point of the sentence (or at a subsequent parole review if earlier). Release, when it occurs, is on licence and subject to supervision up to the three-quarters point (or to the end of the sentence in the case of some sex offenders), and they are liable to recall if they breach any of the licence conditions. All offenders risk serving the rest of their sentence in custody if they commit another offence before the end of the original sentence.

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduced new arrangements for the release on licence of determinate sentence prisoners. They apply only to offences committed on or after 4 April 2005. A new indeterminate public protection sentence was introduced. Those offenders judged to be dangerous, and who have committed serious sexual or violent offences, can be kept in prison until the parole board judges it is safe to release them. If they have committed less serious offences they may serve a determinate sentence followed by an extended period on licence after release of up to eight years for sexual offences and five years for violent offences.

Unless considered dangerous, those sentenced to 12 months or more will be released on licence at the halfway point of their sentence. They will remain on licence, subject to a recall if they breach the conditions of their licence, for the entire remaining period of their sentence instead of to the three-quarter point as under the 1991 Act.


24 July 2006 : Column 1182W
Average custodial sentence length imposed (excluding life) for kidnapping, rape and sexual assault of persons under 16, all courts, England and Wales, 2000-04
Months
Offence 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Kidnapping

(1)

46.7

48.6

51.4

42.4

Rape

83.2

81.1

83.7

86.4

84.4

Sexual assault on person under 16

(1)

(1)

28.5

28.5

28.7

(1) Not shown separately as less than 100 persons sentenced to custody. Source: RDS NOMS.

Sexual Offences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average sentence was served for (a) sexual assault, (b) rape of a minor and (c) rape in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [86331]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Data on average time served, which are obtained from the Prison IT system, are not available separately for specific offences as accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.

The information contained in the following table shows the average length of custodial sentence (excluding life) imposed by the courts.

Average length of custodial sentences (excluding life) for sexual assault, rape of a minor and rape All courts England and Wales 2000-04
Average sentence length (months)
Offence 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Sexual Assault(1)

24.6

25.4

26.3

26.3

27.4

Rape of a person under 16

87.0

88.3

88.2

91.3

93.9

All Rape

83.2

81.1

83.7

86.4

84.4

(1) Indecent assault prior to 2004.
Source:
RDS NOMS

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of the National Organisation for Rape Crisis and Sex Abuse Victims. [86339]

Mr. Coaker: The Rape Crisis Co-ordination Group is represented on the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Sexual Violence, which is chaired by Ministers from the Home Office and the Department of Health. The Group met for the first time on the 28 June 2006.

Statutory Charge Document (Vehicle Removal)

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on a revision to the Statutory Charge document on the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [87536]

Mr. McNulty: We receive regular correspondence from a range of interested parties on various issues related to the charges. These include the interpretation and application of the charges, whether we intend to review them, the nature and timing of any review,
24 July 2006 : Column 1183W
suggestions for change and the contractual arrangements between removal operators and the police.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timescale he has set for review of statutory fees relating to vehicle removal, storage and disposal; and if he will make a statement. [87537]

Mr. McNulty: We have recently informed the parties chiefly concerned of our intention to conduct a wide ranging review of the charges for vehicle removal, storage and disposal, and indicated that we would welcome initial views. In preparing proposals on which we will consult all the parties, we will take into account any such view, together with views expressed in previous discussions, correspondence and meetings. We have set no formal timescale for the work which will proceed as swiftly as resources permit.

Terrorism

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of terrorist acts relating to the Irish Republican Movement between 1976 and 2000 in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland. [86810]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested on convictions is not held by the Home Office. However, the publication “Statistics on the Operation of Prevention of Terrorism Legislation” includes statistics in connection with Northern Irish terrorism. This publication is available on the Science, Research and Statistics part of the Home Office website for the period 1979 to 2000.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000 were from (i) Suffolk and (ii) the East of England. [85545]

Mr. McNulty: The statistics on arrests, charges and convictions under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) are not broken down in the way requested. However, statistics compiled from police records show that between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2006, 997 people were arrested under TACT.

Of those people, 154 were charged with offences under the Act and 79 of these were also charged with offences under other legislation. A further 175 individuals were charged under different legislation. A total of 25 people were convicted under TACT during this period.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many personal computers have been seized by each police service from suspects detained under the Terrorism Act 2003. [86806]

Mr. McNulty: This information is not held by the Home Office.


24 July 2006 : Column 1184W

Ticket Touting

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted for ticket touting in each of the last five years; and what the average sentence (a) given and (b) served was in each year. [87307]

Mr. Coaker: Data for the 2005-06 football seasonare currently being collated and will be published later this year. The following table shows the number of convictions and cautions for ticket touting offences in the previous four seasons. Information on sentences imposed following conviction is not available centrally.

Season Convictions Cautions

2001-02

28

21

2002-03

25

18

2003-04

25

7

2004-05

28

7


US Department of Justice

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with representatives of the United States' Department of Justice in the last 12 months. [86489]

John Reid: Since my appointment as Home Secretary on 5 May 2006,1 have not yet had an opportunity to meet the US Attorney-General.

In the past 12 months, my predecessor had three meetings with the US Attorney-General (Department of Justice). He met the Attorney-General in the margins of the G8 conference in Sheffield in June 2005; during a visit to Washington in October 2005 and during the Trialogue with Australia in March 2006.

My officials frequently meet Department of Justice officials in a variety of fora. A list of all these meetings could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Violent Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1661W, on violent crime, how many violent crimes were recorded in 2004. [80425]

Mr. McNulty: There were 1,175,363 violent crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2004. Data on recorded crime are not directly comparable with court proceedings data given in the previous answer.

Visa Charges

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has (a) to increase visa charges in 2007-08 and (b) to assess the potential impact of such an increase on the UK's income from tourism. [88784]


24 July 2006 : Column 1185W

Dr. Howells: Visa application fees are kept under constant review. UKvisas has no plans to increase its fees in the current financial year and will review fees for 2007-08 later in the year. No decisions have been taken on fee levels in 2007-08. UKvisas is mandated by HM Treasury to recoup costs through fees without burdening the UK taxpayer. The Government need to ensure it is charging a fair rate for its services, and that it continues to offer value to those that travel tothe UK.

Vulnerable/At Risk Young People (Custody)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff were employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector in the care of vulnerable and at risk children and young adults in custody in each of the last 20 years as a percentage of the custody workforce. [86987]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the answerI gave him on 18 July 2006 Official Report, volume 449, Column 411W.


24 July 2006 : Column 1186W

Zahid Mubarek

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the inquiry into the death of Zahid Mubarek. [86246]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The total budget allocated to the Inquiry was £4.2 million; taking into account all related costs borne directly by the Government, the total cost of the Inquiry was £5.2 million.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he will take to implement the recommendations of the inquiry into the death of Zahid Mubarek. [86247]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the Home Secretaryon the publication of the report on 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 19WS, to which was attached the Governments initial response to the report. Inthe statement the Government committed itself to providing a full response to the reports 88 recommendations within two months.


25 July 2006 : Column 1187W

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 25 July 2006

Wales

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advertising campaigns the Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87052]

Mr. Hain: None.

Caravan Parks

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of people living in caravan parks on (a) police, (b) health, (c) social service, (d) educational spending and (e) special educational needs spending; [88286]

(2) what account is taken of the number of people living in caravans in a local authority area when calculating the standard spending assessment; [88288]

(3) if he will review the allocation of funding to local authorities who have large numbers of caravan parks in their areas. [88289]

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.

Funding for local authorities in England is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government. The local authority formula grant distribution system uses various evidence and data to allocate funding from central Government to local authorities in England. Detailed information about the calculation and distribution of formula grant for financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 can be found at the following links, respectively:

    http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0607/lgfr067s/contents.pdf http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0607/lgfr078s/contents.pdf.

The current formulae reflect a review which concluded in December 2005. This review involved local authorities and other interested parties and assessed the most important factors to be taken into account in allocating funding to local government.

Criminal Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many criminal offences his Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997. [88464]

Mr. Hain: The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999 following devolution. Since that time, no criminal offences have been created by Orders in Council.


25 July 2006 : Column 1188W
Next Section Index Home Page

Bowel Cancer

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has put in place to reduce waiting times for referral to specialists for bowel cancer patients. [86679]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A maximum two-week out-patient waiting time standard was introduced in 2000 for urgent general practitioner referrals for suspected bowel cancer. In the last quarter (January to March 2006) 99.9 per cent. of urgent referrals for suspected bowel cancer were seen by a specialist within two weeks.


25 July 2006 : Column 1197W

Cadbury Schweppes

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what (a) manpower and (b) finances are being provided to (i) Birmingham city, (ii) Herefordshire and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset council by the Food Standards Agency in relation to potential legal action against Cadbury Schweppes; and if she will make a statement; [87762]

(2) when Cadbury Schweppes will introduce (a) a positive release system and (b) changes to the testing regime for its products; when it will (i) start and (ii) complete the process of (A) cleaning and (B) improving its Marlbrook plant; and if she will make a statement. [87763]

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has offered both financial and manpower resources to support investigations by the relevant local authorities. To date Herefordshire council has requested and been provided with the services of an investigator from the FSA. Cadbury Schweppes informed the FSA on 6 July that they had introduced a positive release system and changed their testing regime with immediate effect. Cadbury Schweppes also agreed to a programme of cleaning and improvement at the Marlbrook plant starting with immediate effect. This work, monitored by Herefordshire council, is scheduled to last six months to be followed by an ongoing programme of cleaning and maintenance.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the criteria were by which the Food Standards Agency decided which Cadbury Schweppes products should be recalled; and if she will make a statement. [86428]

Caroline Flint: Article 14 of EC regulation 178/2002 prohibits food being placed on the market that is unsafe. Article 19 places obligations on food businesses to recall, and/or withdraw, food from the market if they have reason to believe it is not in compliance with the food safety requirements of Article 14. In deciding which Cadbury Schweppes products were unsafe and should therefore be recalled the Food Standards Agency received advice, from the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, that there is no acceptable level of Salmonella in ready to eat foods.

Cancer Care

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the group comprising officials from (a) her Department, (b) the Department for Work and Pensions and (c) Macmillan Cancer Relief since March 2005 to ensure more efficient delivery of benefits to cancer patients; and if she will make a statement. [86717]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Since March 2005, both the Department and the Department of Work and Pensions have met with Macmillan Cancer Relief to discuss steps that can be taken to ensure that cancer patients are signposted to information and advice about benefits. These discussions are continuing and in particular, through proposals announced in the White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say” to develop information prescriptions for people with long-term conditions.


25 July 2006 : Column 1198W

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the extending of best practice to improve support for dying patients and their families since the publication of the 19(th) report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Tackling Cancer: improving the patient journey. [86725]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The National Cancer Director and cancer action team are working with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and cancer networks on the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s supportive and palliative care guidance. Cancer networks have been required to set out action plans with key milestones to achieve compliance with the recommendations in the guidance. Implementation is being monitored by SHAs.

Ministers have asked the National Cancer Director, Professor Mike Richards, with support from Professor Ian Philip, the National Director for Older People, to prepare a new end of life care strategy. This will include examples of good practice and will be disseminated across the health service.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to encourage hospitals to help with transportation costs for cancer patients. [82797]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Hospital travel costs scheme (HTCS) provides financial assistance to those patients, including cancer patients, who do not have a medical need for ambulance transport, but who require assistance in meeting the cost of travel to and from their care. The Department has published good practice guidance to support trusts when administering the scheme. The guidance states that information about the scheme should be displayed in all patient areas and included in all appointment or admission letters. It is for individual trusts to decide how good practice is implemented locally.

As part of the ‘Our health, our care, our say’ White Paper commitment to expand the HTCS to include referrals by health care professionals, we will be consulting on the impact of this as well as other issues, such as alternative ways to raise awareness of the scheme.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to alter the role of primary care trusts in the (a) commissioning and (b) contracting of (i) out-patient and (ii) in-patient cancer services; whether she expects elements of the (A) commissioning and (B) contracting process will be undertaken by organisations outside the public sector; and if she will make a statement. [88301]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Commissioning is the process which determines how the health and health care budget issued. The process must result in a good deal both for taxpayers and for patients, whether this is for cancer or other services.

Commissioning will not be the responsibility of a single organisation in a patient-led national health service. Rather it will be a partnership between primary care trusts (PCTs), general practice and local government.


25 July 2006 : Column 1199W

Practices will play a central role in the future health system as the integrator of services for each patient. With indicative budgets for almost all primary and secondary care services, practice based commissioners (PBC) will be discussing and shaping with specialist and other health professionals the best patterns of care in their area, ensuring that their patients have available to them health services that best suit their needs. PCTs will also act as the agent of their practices, securing and holding contracts on behalf of practices.

The proposed new local involvement networks (LINKS) will have a key role to play in helping commissioners use people's knowledge and experience to improve services they use.

PCT commissioning, PBC and joint commissioning are not alternatives. They are each essential components of an effective commissioning process.

Different aspects of cancer care will need to be planned and commissioned at different levels, according to the rarity of the disease or intervention. The important thing is that commissioning is co-ordinated within the context of the local cancer network.

The Health Reforms support health care organisations to provide responsive services closer to home, making NHS providers stronger with greater freedom to innovate and creating more opportunities for voluntary sector, social enterprise and independent sector where local people and commissioners see the need.

The great majority of health services will always be publicly owned. The exact mix locally will be for patients, through choice, and general practitioners and PCTs, using the commissioning process, to decide.

We have launched a national procurement of commissioning expertise, using a framework agreement and call-off contract. Accredited providers will be made available to the NHS locally to support PCTs in their commissioning functions, should they need such expertise or support. This would form part of the Department’s programme to strengthen NHS commissioning by providing PCTs with world class commissioning expertise from the private sector.

The revised Official Journal of the European Union advert makes it clear that no PCT can hand over to the private sector their public accountability for commissioning decisions.

There is scope for a number of diagnostic and treatment services related to cancer to be provided by the independent sector. However, it will be important to ensure that any such services are provided within the context of the local cancer network and that standards of care/treatment are the same as in the NHS.

Cannabis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by her Department on treatment for cannabis dependence in the last period for which figures are available. [88014]

Caroline Flint: Funding for drug treatment is not allocated according to drug type. The pooled treatment budget (PTB) for drug treatment is given to drug action teams across the country which spend this allocation based on the need of the local community. The PTB for 2006-07 is £375 million. In addition, £20 million capital
25 July 2006 : Column 1200W
is being made available to help support the expansion of residential rehabilitation and in-patient detoxification and other treatment services.

Carcase Deboning

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the deboning of carcases in butchers’ shops is restricted in the UK to bovine animals under 24 months.[R] [87003]

Caroline Flint [holding answer 20 July 2006]: The deboning of carcases in butchers’ shops is not restricted just to bovine animals under 24 months. In line with the Community TSE Regulation, any butcher in the United Kingdom wishing to remove vertebral column from bovines between 24 to 30 months of age, is able to do so providing they obtain an authorisation from their local authority.

Cardioverter Defibrillation

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients with relevant conditions use implantable cardioverter defibrillation; and what financial savings have been identified from their use. [86359]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

CCRT

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2006, Official Report, column 1278W, on Consultant Contract Benefit Realisation Team (CCRT), what the cost was of the CCRT; how the effectiveness of CCRT was measured; and what results CCRT produced during the time it was operational. [84042]

Andy Burnham: The Consultant Contract Benefits Realisation Team (CCBRT) was set up in March 2005 and the 2005-06 total allocation of funding was £595,000. The effectiveness of the team's work was assessed against its objectives to:

    examine the implementation of the consultant contract;

    assess the value of the consultant job planning toolkit;

    identify how clinical leads have been developed to undertake job planning; and

    identify benefits gained and disseminate good practice.

The team produced a final report to the strategic health authority in May 2006 the lesson from which are still under discussion.

Chest Diseases

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost was to the national health service of the treatment of chest diseases in each year since 1995. [85161]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We do not have data before 2002-03. Since then, the Department’s resource accounts have included details of expenditure by programme budget categories. Gross national health service expenditure on respiratory problems is shown in the following table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1201W
Gross expenditure £000

2002-03

2,849,492

2003-04

2,751,908

2004-05

3,072,258

Source:
Department of Health Resource Accounts 2002-03 (HC 191), 2003-04 (HC 150), 2004-05 (HC668).

Child Health Interim Application

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the impact on children in London of the failure of the child health interim application. [85633]

Caroline Flint: Affected primary care trusts (PCTs), departmental colleagues, Connecting For Health (CfH) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are currently carrying out an assessment review of the COVER statistics that have been produced by the HPA. The assessment is not yet complete but it appears that in some areas uptake of immunisation differs from what may have been expected. It is not yet clear whether the data received is complete, or if there is a drop in uptake, whether or not the problem is related to the child health interim application (CHIA) and/or other factors. Once the outcome of the review is complete, an action plan will be determined by the team to address the matter.

In addition, CfH, the Department's immunisation team, HPA and the strategic health authority (SHA) have been working with the contractor (BT) to ensure that current problems with CHIA are managed effectively to provide child health teams with a more reliable system for the immediate future. An options appraisal has also been commissioned to consider the relative merits of either continuing work on the current system, or introducing an alternative system. This appraisal will be completed by September 2006. In the meantime, BT is continuing to provide support to PCTs to try to improve the present situation.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on problems with the child health interim application. [85637]

Caroline Flint: The problems with the child health interim application (CHIA) have been addressed by a number of press releases from Connecting for Health (CfH). Colleagues from the Department and CfH are taking an expedient and pragmatic approach with the primary care trusts, strategic health authority and suppliers to resolve these issues in the short term and to review the options available for ensuring that a full and robust system is employed in the longer term.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of identifying and vaccinating children affected by the disruption to child health services through problems with the Child Health Interim Application. [85638]

Caroline Flint: It appears from the COVER reports that the number of children being immunised in some areas may not be as expected; however, as the returns received may be incomplete, we cannot at this stage
25 July 2006 : Column 1202W
draw any conclusions. An assessment review to determine the scope of the problem is being taken forward by colleagues at the Department, Connecting for Health, primary care trusts and strategic health authority and the suppliers (BT) who are working together to move the child health interim application forward as quickly as possible, as well as implement a more robust solution in the longer term.

Once these issues have been resolved an investigation will commence to identify children who do not appear to have had due immunisations. There will then be a catch-up operation to ensure that these children are protected as soon as possible. At this stage, it is not possible to identify the cost of these exercises.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she plans to take in relation to the primary care trusts using the child health interim application which have not filed data with the Health Protection Agency in this quarter. [85920]

Caroline Flint: The provision of primary care trust (PCT) immunisation reports to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) forms the basis of the HPA COVER reports, which are an important resource for measuring immunisation uptake across the country. It is in everyone’s interests to ensure that all child health systems are able to facilitate this operation by producing statistics that can be used for the national COVER report. Whilst it is true that child health interim application (CHIA) has not been able to produce reports, colleagues at Connecting for Health and the strategic health authority have been working with the to try and produce reports from the raw data within CHIA for the last quarterly and annual returns.

The provision of a permanent solution to provide COVER reports for the PCTs is currently the highest priority objective for the next software release of CHIA.

Childhood Vaccinations

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 227W, on immunisation, if she will place in the Library a list of those primary care trusts where general medical service partnerships have opted out of childhood immunisation services. [88913]

Caroline Flint: This corrects the information provided to the Answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 227W, on immunisation. It shows as at 2004, 343 of general medical servicer practices had opted out of childhood immunisation services and according to revised 2005 data this has now fallen to 28. A list has been placed in the Library.

Children's Hospices

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will bring forward proposals to increase the funding of children's hospices; [73228]

(2) what recent discussions she has held with the Prime Minister on the funding of children's hospices; [73229]


25 July 2006 : Column 1203W

(3) when she expects to make an announcement regarding the funding of children's hospices; [73690]

(4) if she will make a statement on the meeting on 17 May 2006 between the Prime Minister and representatives of the hospice movement regarding funding for children’s hospices. [73714]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 15 March 2006, Official Report, column 1454W, concerning children's hospices. The meeting that took place on 17 May 2006 was in response to the Prime Minister’s offer to meet representatives of the children's hospice movement. I understand that the hon. Member for Castle Point attended that meeting with representatives of the Association of Children's Hospices. The need to review the functions and funding of children's hospices was discussed and the effect the loss of Big Lottery funding was having on the services they provide to children and young people needing palliative care and their families.

Our manifesto commitment to double funding for end of life care, including children’s palliative care, was re-affirmed in the White Paper “Our health, our care, our say”. This commitment to increase funding will increase choice about where to receive palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions so that the child or young person can live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible. We will make a statement about funding the commitment as soon as we can.

Chiron (Diamorphine Supply)

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when Chiron first informed the Department that it would not be able to provide expected supplies of diamorphine to the NHS at the end of 2004; and what warning period is required of suppliers to the NHS of essential pharmaceuticals of an interruption or planned ending of supply; [86674]

(2) whether financial penalties were applied to Chiron when it interrupted the supply of diamorphine to the NHS at the end of December 2004. [86675]

Andy Burnham: Chiron informed the Department that its supplies of diamorphine injection were limited on 16 December 2004, and it was unable to say when more would be available.

Guidelines issued jointly by the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry “Ensuring Best Practice in the Notification of Product Discontinuations” state that companies should notify the Department of a product discontinuation at least three to six months prior to the deletion date, and 12 months where there is no therapeutic alternative.

Medicines legislation which came into force on 30 October 2005 requires marketing authorisation holders, within the limits of their responsibilities, to notify the Licensing Authority if a product is not going to be available either temporarily or permanently. In all but exceptional circumstances, two months notice is required.

Diamorphine injection is supplied through wholesalers to community pharmacists, and is also tendered and contracted for by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) on behalf of
25 July 2006 : Column 1204W
national health service trusts. For the contracted supplies, Chiron was not subject to any financial penalty other than that which forms part of the standard NHS terms and conditions of contract for the purchase of goods, which is issued with all tenders by the NHS. There is no formally agreed warning period within NHS PASA contracts or terms and conditions.

Chiropractors

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 353W, on chiropractic management, how many chiropractors were employed by the NHS in each of the last three years; and at what cost. [79850]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of chiropractors and the cost to the national health service is not available as chiropractors were not separately identified in the workforce census from the rest of the non-medical work force.

Choose and Book Service

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent on the choose and book service. [77059]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 10 March 2006, Official Report, columns 1812-13W.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients have been unable to book an appointment on the telephone and online when they have been given a unique booking reference number by the Choose and Book system as a result of (a) human failure and (b) system error. [76380]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Clinical Academic Staff

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of clinical academic staff in (a) medical and (b) dental schools. [86364]

Andy Burnham: The Department and its partners are taking forward training schemes to implement the recommendations on clinical academic careers made last year by the academic careers sub-committee of modernising medical careers and the United Kingdom clinical research collaboration. In the first round, the clinical academic careers panel has recommended for funding:

    104 programmes to support academic clinical fellowships (597 ACFs over five years); and

    101 programmes to support clinical lectureships (303 CLs over five years).

The Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department are also offering funding for up to 200 “new blood” senior lectureships through five annual rounds of awards.


25 July 2006 : Column 1205W

Clinical Assessment Services

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the use of Clinical Assessment Services by primary care trusts; what the plans are for the introduction of a Clinical Assessment Service to deal with patients in Hertsmere; what standard of medical skills will be required of those providing that service; what other service specifications will be required; what target has been set for cost savings as a result of the introduction of the service; what the cost of the service is expected to be; what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the service on waiting times; what opportunities patients will have to have a say in the running of the service; and what consultations have been carried out with patients about the provision of a Clinical Assessment Service in Hertsmere. [86972]

Andy Burnham: Current advice is contained in a letter from the Department's director of access to primary care trust chief executives in July 2005. Referrals to community-based clinical assessment services, and other such centres, should happen only where it adds genuine clinical value for patients. A copy of the letter is available in the Library.

Information about the effects of the use of such services on referrals to secondary care is not held centrally.

Clinical Care (Peter Halley)

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where within the NHS the on-call doctor at Southend Hospital with responsibility for the treatment of Peter Halley of Southend-on-Sea following admission on 7 May 2004 now works. [87947]

Andy Burnham [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The Department does not hold information on the employment of individual doctors working in the national health service. All NHS trusts who employ doctors including temporary staff have a duty to check the good standing and employment history of those doctors and to ensure that they are fit to practise and fit for purpose, this includes checking whether an alert letter has been issued. Where doctors are supplied through agencies those agencies have a similar duty. Alert letters provide a mechanism by which the NHS can urgently communicate concerns of a serious nature in relation to a healthcare practitioner.

Clostridium Difficile

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which NHS hospital trusts have reported having patients in their hospitals with clostridium difficile in 2006; [88165]

(2) what guidance has been issued to (a) NHS hospital trusts and (b) NHS primary care trusts on dealing with clostridium difficile; and if she will make a statement; [88166]

(3) which primary care trusts have reported having patients in their hospitals with clostridium difficile in 2006. [88168]


25 July 2006 : Column 1206W

Andy Burnham: Data on the number of “Clostridium difficile” reports for patients aged 65 and over is available for national health service acute trusts from the mandatory surveillance scheme on health care associated infections. Results for 2006 are not available but data for 2005 is available at:

    www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_report_2006.htm

Reporting of data is the responsibility of the NHS acute trust and therefore data are not available for primary care trusts.

The following guidance was sent to chief executives of NHS trusts and made available to Chief Executives of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts:

A joint professional letter from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Nursing Officer went out to NHS Trusts in December 2005 to remind them of the importance of this infection. This letter listed the key actions to control “Clostridium difficile” and highlighted the guidance available(1,2). The letter is at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/PubliationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/ProfessionalLetters/ChiefMedicalOfficerLetters/ChiefMeicalOfficerLettersArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4125069&chk=cuQ7C%2B.

As part of our delivery programme “Saving lives: a delivery programme to reduce health care associated infections including MRSA” a high impact intervention which is a tool to help reduce “Clostridium difficile” infections was published in June 2006.

A simple guide to “Clostridium difficile” is also available on the Department’s website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/HealthcareAcquiredInfection/HealthcareAcquiredGeneralInformation/HealthcareAcquiredGeneralArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4115800&chk=wHehV/

Although much of the current guidance is still extant we have asked the Health Protection agency to review the national guidance. Mandatory surveillance has shown a clear need to improve NHS performance and we believe that upgrading the level of surveillance and more rapid feedback of results will help performance. Therefore, we intend to move to quarterly publication as soon as it is feasible to do so.

    (1 “)Clostridium Difficile” Infection, Prevention and Management A Report by a Department of Health/PHLS joint working group. 1994

    (2) Guidelines for optimal surveillance of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals Brazier JS and Duerden BI. Guidelines for optimal surveillance of “Clostridium difficile” infection in hospitals. Comm.Dis.Pub.Health. 1998:1;(4) 229-230.

Community Hospitals

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospitals in (a) South West London, (b) Surrey, (c) Middlesex, (d) Greater London and (e) England are having their closure discussed; and in how many such cases the possible closure is a result of NHS trust budget deficits. [58919]

Andy Burnham: Making decisions on local healthcare provision, including the closure of community hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) in consultation with the local population. Therefore,
25 July 2006 : Column 1207W
the Department does not centrally collect information on the number of community hospitals that are having their closure discussed.

In paragraph 6.42 of the recently published Health White Paper ‘Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services’ it was made clear to national health service organisations that community hospital facilities should not be lost in response to short-term budgetary pressures that are not related to the viability of the community facility itself.

Therefore, no community hospitals should be closed solely as a result of NHS primary care trust budget deficits. Therefore, there is a commitment that PCTs taking decisions about the future of community hospitals are required to demonstrate to their SHA that they have consulted locally and have considered options such as developing new pathways, new partnerships and new ownership possibilities. In relation to this commitment, the Department has recently written to SHAs to clarify how it might operate in practice.

The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk.

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) information and (b) support she has made available to hon. Members with community hospitals threatened with closure in their constituency. [58920]

Andy Burnham: The recently published Health White Paper “Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services” sets out how the Department intends to fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to develop a new generation of modern national health service community hospitals. The Department will keep Parliament updated with progress against this commitment.

However, making decisions on local health care provision, including the closure of community hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population. Therefore, the onus is on local NHS organisations to consult with local stakeholders, such as local hon. Members, and to make relevant information available as appropriate.

The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk.


25 July 2006 : Column 1208W

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the closure of community hospitals on the elderly; and what steps she is taking to lessen that impact. [58922]

Andy Burnham: This Government have invested heavily on developing alternatives to in-patient stays in hospitals, including more intensive support to enable people to stay in their own homes wherever that is safe and what the individual wants. We set out in the White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for community services” that community hospitals can play an invaluable role in delivering services that patients need, and want close to home. We have stressed that short-term budgetary pressures are insufficient reason to close viable community hospitals that local people want and that they should only be closed after extensive consultation locally and when any proposals have been tested against the principles set out in the White Paper.

The Department has announced a £750 million capital investment programme and recently published a document that sets out how to take forward the agenda on community hospitals and community-based services and facilities. The document also includes case study examples of those areas that are already making the most of their community hospital, and highlights new developments that fit with the vision that the White Paper put forward. The document can be found on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral Statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 819W, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority area she assesses as being based in Victorian workhouse facilities. [85963]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Suffolk West Primary Care Trust (PCT) currently provides services at Walnutree Hospital and Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire PCTs provide services on part of the Brookfields site (Davison House), all of which were workhouses originally.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the likely demand for community hospital beds in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland primary care trust area over the next five to 10 years. [85965]

Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trust to assess and commission services to meet the needs of the populations that they serve.

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community hospital beds there were in the East Cambridgeshire and Fenland primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [85980]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the likely demand for community
25 July 2006 : Column 1209W
hospital beds in (a) Guildford and Waverley primary care trust area and (b) Surrey over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years. [87915]

Andy Burnham: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with strategic health authorities to make assessments relating to local health service provision.

Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 816-32, on community hospitals, whether the new community hospitals will have midwife-led maternity services. [85284]

Andy Burnham: As stated in the publication ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Community: investing in the future of community hospitals and services’ the clinical possibilities of community hospitals and their range of services are considerable. Annex A of that publication, outlines some of the possibilities, which include maternity services.

However, decision making on specific local healthcare provision, including midwife led maternity services, is a matter for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in consultation with the local population.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of community hospital beds which will be needed in the next 10 years. [85494]

Andy Burnham: It is for local primary care trusts in conjunction with strategic health authorities to make assessments relating to local health service provision.

Contestability Process

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which operational areas of her Department’s work are being reviewed under the contestability process. [62680]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department is not reviewing new areas for contesting departmental functions although some services continue to be contracted out such as information technology maintenance, catering, occupational health and photocopying.

Continuing Care

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 2042W, on continuing care, if she will make it her policy that no-one currently in receipt of continuing care will lose their entitlement to it with the introduction of the national framework for continuing care. [87693]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are consulting on a draft national framework until 22 September 2006, and it would be inappropriate to enter into specific commitments until all consultees have had an opportunity to comment and for those comments to be considered.

However, the national framework will not change the existing legal basis for the provision of NHS Continuing Healthcare, by which fully funded NHS Continuing Healthcare is provided for all those individuals whose
25 July 2006 : Column 1210W
primary need is a health need. This is based on an assessment of need and if individuals’ needs have not changed there is no reason to expect them to lose their entitlement to NHS Continuing Healthcare. Equally, continuing entitlement to an individual whose needs change cannot be guaranteed.

Contract Notice 2006/05 114-121806

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which organisations her Department consulted on the contract notice 2006-05 114-121806; [86110]

(2) why the contract notice 2006-05 114-121806 published in the Official Journal of the European Union was withdrawn; and whether she intends to submit a revised contract notice. [86111]

Andy Burnham: The advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) was withdrawn and a revised advertisement submitted on 13 July to make it clear that clinical provision was explicitly excluded from the scope of the procurement. In other words, that we were advertising for a range of management functions to support primary care trusts (PCTs) commissioning role. We have used the opportunity of the reissue of the advertisement to emphasise that even if PCTs choose to use such services they remain accountable to the public for the resources spent on health care in their locality.

The procurement framework will allow successful companies to offer a range of commissioning skills and services to PCTs who can chose whether or not to use the services offered. This is part of a range of measures to support PCTs and practices in developing effective commissioning as described in “Health reform in England: update and commissioning framework”. PCTs are and will remain public, statutory bodies responsible for using their growing budgets to commission the best possible services for local people. They can never outsource this responsibility, or ask others to make these decisions for them.

We did not consult with external organisations prior to issuing the OJEU because one of the main purposes of such an advertisement is to elicit responses from interested organisations.

Counterfeit Medicines

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to control the sale of counterfeit medicines online. [79001]

Andy Burnham: Medicines law in the United Kingdom (UK) (Medicines Act 1968 and related regulations) imposes strict controls on the sale, supply and advertising of medicines and these controls apply without distinction to medicines offered for sale via the internet and by mail order. Internet pharmacies must be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and any manufacturing or distribution activities are required to be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Problems arise when online sites are based in another territory, outside of the UK’s legal jurisdiction. Regulatory requirements can vary from country to country, particularly
25 July 2006 : Column 1211W
outside the European Community, where the products may be classified differently and the laws may be entirely different. In such cases, details of the websites are referred to counterparts in the host country with a request to take action as appropriate to prevent sale to UK citizens.

Dentistry

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which groups representing those working in dental laboratories she has met in the last 12 months. [86281]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I met with the Dental Laboratories Association (DLA) in December 2005. The DLA is represented on the implementation review group, which has been set up to review the impact of the national health service dentistry reforms and identify any issues that need to be addressed. I attended the first meeting of the review group in April.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) initiated and (b) evaluated on the reasons for the change in the level of dentists providing NHS dental repairs since the implementation of the new dental contracts; and if she will make a statement. [86283]

Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for individual dentists working under general dental services contracts or personal dental services agreements to use their clinical judgment to examine a patient and determine what treatment including any dental repairs is necessary. The Department does not collect routine information on the quantity or type of dental repairs being carried out.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the unnumbered command papers produced by her Department in each Session since 1976; by what means (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if she will make a statement. [81308]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered command papers are generally restricted to explanatory notes to treaties, explanatory memorandum to statutory instruments and some Treasury minutes. All other documents are published in the numbered command papers series.

Details of those published since 1976 can be produced only at disproportionate cost. Copies of all unnumbered command papers are made available to hon. Members via the Vote Office. Members of the public who wish to see an unnumbered command paper may write to the Department.

Departmental Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free air miles have been earned by senior civil servants in her Department in each of the last three years; and how they were used. [72861]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has no record of any free air miles having been earned by its senior civil servants.


25 July 2006 : Column 1212W

Diabetes

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetics in (a) England and (b) Shropshire use (i) insulin inhalers and (ii) insulin pumps. [86127]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients with diabetes use insulin pumps; and what savings have been identified from their use. [86360]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Diagnostic Phase Management

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost has been of the diagnostic phase management consultants employed by trusts applying for foundation status. [88276]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The diagnostic programme to prepare national health service trusts for NHS foundation trust status has been delivered through a central support contract for consultancy support. The contract was let following a competitive tendering process, the value for which is commercially confidential. The Department does not hold information on the average cost of consultancy support for trusts although we are aware that consultants have added value to the programme by providing external rigour and challenge as well as business expertise.

Doctor Registration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors in London were struck off the medical register in each year since 1997. [87664]

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.

Doddington Hospital

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) letters and (b) other representations her Department received on Doddington Community Hospital near March in Cambridgeshire. [85979]

Andy Burnham: There have been no representations made on the subject of Doddington Community Hospital, and due to the way data is collected, the Department is unable to provide the number of letters received in relation to Doddington Community Hospital.

Dr. Foster Intelligence Data Information Service

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been budgeted by her Department for the Dr. Foster intelligence data information service; what range of data will be collected by Dr. Foster; who will own the data that is collected; and whether
25 July 2006 : Column 1213W
Dr. Foster will be entitled to make financial gain from use of the information collected beyond the profit gained from the stated aim of helping to give people more choice. [85956]

Caroline Flint: The information centre for health and social care is a 50 per cent. shareholder in Dr. Foster Intelligence and is working in partnership with the company to transform data into products and services which are relevant, accessible and usable to deliver better care.

The information centre for health and social care does not procure data information services from Dr. Foster Intelligence and has no current budget to do so.

Dr. Foster Intelligence has competed to be part of several of the Department’s framework agreements, making it eligible to compete for work alongside other preferred suppliers. However, the nature and value of the work is dependent upon the originating specification and terms on which any subsequent contract is let. Any profits made by Dr. Foster Intelligence are shared with the Department.

Drug Rehabilitation

Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the health service on the treatment of persons addicted to illegal drugs in each of the last three years. [87682]

Caroline Flint: The amount of funding spent on drug treatment for each of the last three years is shown in the table.

£ million
Pooled treatment budget Mainstream funding Total

2003-04

236

200

436

2004-05

253

2041

257

2005-06

300

2081

508

Note:
Estimated local funding increases based on 2 per cent. inflation

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug addicts received treatment from GPs in (a) Eastern Leicester Primary Care Trust, (b) Leicester City West Primary Care Trust and (c) England in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [86368]

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect information on how many drugs addicts receive treatment from general practitioners (GPs). However, treatment data from the national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) is shown in the table for clients receiving GP prescribing for the treatment of drug addiction in Leicester (city) and the whole of England for 2004-05 and 2005-06. Data is not available at primary care trust level.

Leicester England

2004-05

164

28,305

2005-06(1)

234

34,971

(1) Provisional data based on 30 April 2006 dataset

25 July 2006 : Column 1214W

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average expenditure per patient was for drug rehabilitation in (a) Bexley borough and (b) Greater London in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [83482]

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential and (b) inpatient specialist drug treatment rehabilitation places are available in (i) Ruislip-Northwood constituency, (ii) each London borough and (iii) England. [86476]

Caroline Flint: It is important to note that residential and inpatient drug rehabilitation services are often provided outside of the individual's drug action team (DAT) of residence. Therefore, individuals as well as having access to these services in their area of residence are, with the agreement of their DAT, able to access similar services elsewhere in the country.

There are no residential rehabilitation services in the Ruislip-Northwood constituency (London borough of Hillingdon).

There is one service providing inpatient drug treatment. We do not have any information about the number of beds or client places for drug treatment in the service.

There are 19 residential rehabilitation services in London. Where a London borough is not shown, this means there are no services based within that borough. The breakdown is shown in Table 1.

Table 1
Borough Number of units Number of beds

Camden

3

43

Ealing

1

12

Enfield

1

50

Islington

1

13

Lambeth

4

71

Lewisham

1

31

Southwark

1

12

Tower Hamlets

1

8

Walthamstow

2

26

Wandsworth(1)

3

138

Westminster

1

8

Total

19

412

(1) This figure is high because it includes one of the large priory hospitals (private sector).

We do not hold centrally a breakdown by London borough of inpatient treatment services. The review of inpatient treatment recently published by the National Treatment Agency (Ed Day, 2005) found 13 services in London providing inpatient treatment (national health service, voluntary sector and private sector). We have no specific information on the number of beds, client places or admissions to treatment in these services.

There are 115 residential rehabilitation services in England with a total of 2,441 beds for drug and/or alcohol treatment.

The review of inpatient treatment identified 129 services providing inpatient treatment for dug misuse in England. These services fall into three main types:


25 July 2006 : Column 1215W

    specialist units for drug misuse inpatient treatment;

    inpatient drug treatment which takes place in general or psychiatric wards; and

    detoxification in residential rehabilitation services, prior to admission to the rehabilitation programme.

The review of inpatient treatment estimated that the total number of admissions to inpatient treatment (for the year 2003-04) was as follows:

    specialist units: 6,829 admissions;

    general/psychiatric wards: 2,077 admissions.

    Note:

    In response to this question, information is mainly given in number of beds available for residential rehabilitation. This is not the same as the number of client places available in treatment services during any one year, as one bed may be occupied by a number of clients, depending on need, during the year.

Eastbourne District General Hospital

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) overseas residents and (b) UK residents not normally living in Eastbourne have received NHS treatment at the Eastbourne District General Hospital in each of the last five years. [87677]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cardiac episodes required admission to Eastbourne District General Hospital (a) by ambulance and (b) through accident and emergency in each of the last five years. [86406]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally in this format.


25 July 2006 : Column 1216W

Eating Disorders

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the incidence of eating disorders with the (a) public and (b) medical profession. [85385]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders which was published in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and what kinds of services best help people with eating disorders. It also includes information specifically for patients, carers and the general public.

The Department's five-year initiative to tackle stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues in England, Shift, works with young people and professionals to promote awareness of all mental health problems including eating disorders.

The Department also supports voluntary organisations such as the Eating Disorders Association to provide information and advice for people with mental health problems in England through the mental health helplines partnership project.

Eye Tests

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free eye tests were given in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87497]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows data on the number of free eye tests by health authority and primary care trust in London for the years 1996-97 to 2004-05.

Free eye care tests by HA and PCT in London
Number
2001-02 2000-01 1999-2000 1998-99 1997-98

Barking and Havering

77,050

73,877

71,990

53,440

52,310

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey

156,850

165,170

156,410

130,990

131,540

Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich

146,410

143,879

132,280

99,060

95,620

Brent and Harrow

89,340

86,595

88,520

75,890

74,880

Camden and Islington

58,290

59,166

57,770

49,180

56,940

Croydon

55,760

59,533

59,890

46,050

45,570

Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

96,980

96,528

97,490

76,370

85,430

East London and the City

121,300

127,144

129,190

118,380

122,150

Hillingdon

47,990

44,042

45,130

32,170

32,120

Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

52,410

53,771

49,490

39,550

43,360

Kingston and Richmond

103,310

104,618

105,590

88,420

93,680

Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

87,580

95,561

95,570

73,810

76,210

Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

87,580

95,561

95,570

73,810

76,210

Redbridge and Waltham Forest

96,070

92,341

98,430

86,130

80,340



25 July 2006 : Column 1217W

25 July 2006 : Column 1218W
Number
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

North Central London SHA

210,480

208,950

213,630

Barnet

67,280

67,203

Camden

32,720

33,479

Enfield

43,820

44,911

Haringey

43,130

43,762

Islington

21,990

24,275

North East London SHA

283,500

282,730

293,285

Barking and Dagenham

26,530

27,741

City and Hackney

39,630

42,006

Havering

49,220

51,507

Newham

47,180

50,974

Redbridge

48,680

50,799

Tower Hamlets

27,200

26,971

Waltham Forest

44,280

43,287

North West London SHA

279,400

282,590

287,451

Brent

40,370

41,774

Ealing

43,130

44,783

Hammersmith and Fulham

16,610

17,890

Harrow

45,950

47,814

Hillingdon

48,380

48,081

Hounslow

36,650

37,540

Kensington and Chelsea

14,590

17,209

Westminster

36,900

32,360

South East London SHA

242,310

240,960

243,625

Bexley

45,640

46,559

Bromley

—-

62,390

63,376

Greenwich

34,580

34,818

Lambeth

33,120

33,678

Lewisham

32,220

31,588

Southwark

33,010

33,606

South West London SHA

198,240

202,810

206,961

Croydon

57,780

59,667

Kingston

28,930

29,890

Richmond and Twickenham

24,050

24,442

Sutton and Merton

53,060

55,488

Wandsworth

38,990

37,474


Fibromyalgia

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is undertaking into the causes of fibromyalgia; and if she will make a statement. [87390]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea, East (Mrs. James) on 10 May 2006, Official Report, column 373W.

Food Standards Agency

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the Food Standards Agency in establishing a timetable for the comprehensive inspection and licensing of food broker businesses. [71150]

Caroline Flint: As from the 1 January 2006 all food brokers are required to register their food premises with their local authority in terms of Regulation 852/2004 of the European Parliament. Once a premises is registered it will be inspected to ascertain if it meets the requirements of the relevant food safety legislation. Currently, there is no requirement for food brokers to be licensed as food business operators.

General Medical Services Contract

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the review of the Quality and Outcomes Framework of the General Medical Services Contract. [85582]

Andy Burnham: Negotiations on this issue between NHS Employers and the British Medical Association’s general practice committee aim to be completed in time for the start of the financial year 2007-08.

Gershon Review

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1802W, on the Gershon Review, what the main elements are of the £179 million savings in social care. [85926]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department was informed of the £179 million efficiency savings in relation to adult social care through the 2005-06 Mid-Year Update Annual Efficiency Statements which were completed by councils and submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in November 2005. The template for the Annual Efficiency Statement requires subdivision between different major council services areas, such as
25 July 2006 : Column 1219W
adult social care, but there is no requirement for councils to further subdivide their efficiency savings totals into specific elements of services.

Glos, Wilts & Avon Strategic Health Authority

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many administrative and managerial staff have been employed by the Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon strategic health authority in each year of its existence; what the cost of that employment is; and if she will make a statement. [74260]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The requested information is provided in the table. Figures are not available prior to 1998-99. Figures for 2005-06 will not be available until autumn this year.

Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon Strategic Health Authority
£ 000

2002-03

Administrative

367

Managers

3,458

2003-04

Administrative

342

Managers

2,020

2004-05

Administrative

2,814

Managers

4,102


Head Injuries (Rehabilitation)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Essex, (c) Hertfordshire and (d) the Metropolitan police and City of London police areas of London offer specialist services for the rehabilitation of patients with severe head injuries. [87315]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health Professions Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to extend the 2008 deadline for regulating psychotherapy counsellors through the Health Professions Council; and if she will make a statement. [88029]

Andy Burnham: Work is in hand to scope competencies and undertake preparatory work to enable the statutory regulation of psychotherapists. Decisions about further progress will be taken once the consultation on healthcare profession regulation closes on 10 November 2006.

Following the publication of the Chief Medical Officer’s report on medical regulation, “Good Doctors, safer patients”, and the parallel review of non-medical regulation on 14 July, the Department is now seeking views of stakeholders as to the contents of the reports and the associated Regulatory Impact Assessment documents.


25 July 2006 : Column 1220W

Health Worker Recruitment Code of Practice

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review the effectiveness of the code of practice on the international recruitment of health workers. [81788]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has no plans to review the effectiveness of the code of practice which is working well.

Hepatitis C

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hepatitis C there were in each (a) primary care trust and (b) strategic health authority area in England (i) in total and (ii) per head of population in each year since 2001. [86573]

Caroline Flint: Data by primary care trust or strategic health authority are not available. The number of laboratory diagnoses of hepatitis C reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for the period requested by HPA region(1) are shown in the table with rates per 100,000 population.

    (1) HPA regions correspond to the Government Offices of the English Regions—see www.gos.gov.uk.


25 July 2006 : Column 1221W
Hepatitis C laboratory reports by Government Offices of the English regions, 2001 to 2005
Number Rate/100,000

East Midlands

2001

159

3.81

2002

262

6.28

2003

358

8.57

2004

472

11.31

2005

524

12.55

Eastern

2001

488

9.05

2002

419

7.77

2003

471

8.73

2004

649

12.03

2005

726

13.46

London

2001

399

5.55

2002

366

5.09

2003

416

5.79

2004

895

12.45

2005

898

12.49

North East

2001

131

5.21

2002

157

6.24

2003

261

10.37

2004

295

11.72

2005

342

13.59

North West

2001

1,157

17.19

2002

1,603

23.81

2003

2,358

35.03

2004

2,516

37.38

2005

2,017

29.96

South East

2001

639

7.98

2002

607

7.58

2003

544

6.79

2004

465

5.81

2005

294

3.67

South West

2001

807

16.36

2002

1,023

20.73

2003

813

16.48

2004

1,302

26.39

2005

882

17.88

West Midlands

2001

639

12.13

2002

776

14.73

2003

592

11.24

2004

704

13.37

2005

734

13.94

Yorkshire and Humberside

2001

246

4.95

2002

334

6.72

2003

528

10.63

2004

695

13.99

2005

1,161

23.37

England

2001

4,665

9.49

2002

5,547

11.28

2003

6,341

12.89

2004

7,993

16.25

2005

7,578

15.41

Source:
Health Protection Agency

Hospital Provision (South-east)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her future plans are for hospitals in each council area in the new regional health authority area for the South East; and if she will make a statement. [86279]

Caroline Flint: The south eastern area of England is now covered by two strategic health authorities: NHS South East Coast (covering Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Medway) and NHS South Central (covering Thames Valley, Hampshire and Isle of Wight). It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.


25 July 2006 : Column 1222W

Incoming Hospital Telephone Calls

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made with regard to the cost of incoming hospital telephone calls provided by Patientline, Premier and Hospital Telephone Services for those who are unable to pay. [87176]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Bedside televisions and telephones represent an enhanced service, providing additional choice for patients.

Incoming callers who are unable to pay for the incoming call charge to the bedside telephone can still get a message to the patient via the nurse station as they have always been able to do in the past.

Information Technology

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 14 July 2006, Official Report, column 2159W, on information technology, what (a) the services covered by the contracts and projects added to the original scope of the programme and (b) the additional services beyond the scope of the core national contracts were; why these services and associated costs were not expected when the national programme was originally procured; whether she expects to spend additional money on (i) the services covered by the contracts and projects added to the original scope of the programme and (ii) the additional services beyond the scope of the core national contracts in future years; and if she will make a statement. [87696]

Caroline Flint: The contracts and projects added to the original scope of the national programme were for the provision of a secure email and directory service for national health service staff, including its associated relay service and archive facility, and for the provision of central data stores required for picture archiving and communications systems (PACS).

The additional services beyond the scope of the original national core contracts comprised the provision of extra capacity in connections within the new national broadband network (N3); additional services under choose and book to support new policy requirements relating to offering patients requiring planned hospital care booked appointments from a choice of hospitals; and support for systems integration, for example to enable suppliers of information technology to NHS organisations to test the integration of their software with the spine.

All of these additions, which are itemised and described in the National Audit Office’s (IMAO’s) report, were either as a result of decisions to extend the scope of the programme taken subsequent to the original procurement phase, to respond to the consequences of policy changes affecting its delivery, or to deal with unforeseen technical challenges arising in the course of implementation.

As the NAO report also makes clear, except for the provision of extra capacity for N3, for which expenditure is dependent on demand, all of the additions are the subject of fixed-price contracts which mean that they will not require additional expenditure, although contractors will be paid less if they fail to deliver in line with their contracts.


25 July 2006 : Column 1223W

Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the vacancy for a permanent chair of Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust to be advertised. [88820]

Andy Burnham: The Secretary of State has delegated the appointment of Chairs of national health service trusts to the NHS Appointments Commission. I have asked Sir William Wells, Chairman of the NHS Appointments Commission, to write direct to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Learning and Development

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what continued funding is planned for the Government's commitment to lifelong learning for the NHS workforce. [86146]

Andy Burnham: Funding for continuing professional development and lifelong learning for the national health service workforce is included as part of the baseline allocation to strategic health authorities (SHAs). How it is allocated is for individual SHAs to determine locally in relation to their workforce planning strategies.

Long-term Conditions (Needs' Assessments)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures are in place to assess the care needs of individuals with long-term and fluctuating conditions; [88799]

(2) what steps she is taking to ensure that individuals with long-term fluctuating conditions are adequately assessed; [88800]

(3) what percentage of individuals at the early stages of long-term fluctuating conditions receive social care. [88801]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The national health service and social services Departments across the country work together, and with other stakeholders, to deliver high quality, timely and integrated care to those people who need it using the substantial extra resources made available to them by this Government and in accordance with the principles set out in the documents “Supporting people with long term conditions” and “The national service framework for long term conditions”. Both documents are available on the Department’s website at:

    www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/LongTermConditions/fs/en.

The assessment of needs is the responsibility of professionals and care staff who are accountable to their employers arid in most cases subject to professional regulation. Health and social care systems are inspected by the independent Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection respectively.

Information on the number of individuals at the early stages of long-term fluctuating conditions who receive social care is not available.


25 July 2006 : Column 1224W

McKinsey and Company

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial value is of work commissioned in each of the last three years by (a) her Department and (b) other NHS organisations and agencies with McKinsey and Co.; and if she will make a statement. [84279]

Andy Burnham: The total amount spent by the Department with McKinsey and Co. in the financial years 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06 is shown in the table.

Expenditure (£000s)

2003-04

0

2004-05

240

2005-06

2,865


The Department does not collect information from the national health service or agencies on this type of expenditure. NHS organisations account separately for their financial performance, publishing their own set of annual financial accounts.

Mental Health

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information health trusts routinely provide to the police on people in the community who are mentally ill and have a history of violent behaviour. [86080]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not passed routinely from health trusts to the police. When individuals are considered a risk to others, they become subject to the provisions of multi-agency public protection panels set up by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed as having mental illness in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87494]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual cost of (a) secure and (b) other residential mental health treatment in each of the last three years. [88940]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format. Annual surveys of investment in mental health services covering 2001-02 to 2005-06, which are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/mentalhealth, provide information on planned expenditure on various inpatient and residential mental health service provision including secure and high dependency services.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was given to each mental health care trust in each of the last five years. [88656]


25 July 2006 : Column 1225W

Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16 June 2006, Official Report, Column 1555W.

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to introduce an offence for workers ill-treating or neglecting someone with mental health problems or learning disabilities in their care. [79376]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Section 127 of the Mental Health Act 1983 already makes it an offence for people to ill-treat or wilfully neglect patients under their care. We would expect the employer to report such matters to the police or to take disciplinary action depending on the severity of the abuse or neglect. The ill-treatment or neglect of a patient is a matter which the regulatory bodies would take seriously whoever reported the matter to them.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many initial hospital orders have been made under section 37 of the Mental Health Act for each category of mental disorder in each of the last five years; and how many of the initial orders were renewed under section 20 for each category of mental disorder in each year. [84117]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not available in the requested format.

Some information is available in relation to inpatients who were formally detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983, between 1994-95 and 2004-05, from the detained patients bulletin at

    www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/inpatientdetmha94to05/mhbulletin/file.

Some information is also available about guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983 from the guardianship bulletin at:

    www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/icpublication.2006-01-04.5354930463/04117869.pdf.file.

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her plans for mental health funding. [85644]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Funding for mental health is allocated directly to primary care trust (PCTs). It is for PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. The 2005-06 national survey of investment in mental health services, which is available on the Department’s website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/50/11/04135011.pdf, shows that between 2001-02 and 2005-06 planned expenditure on mental health services by national health service organisations and local authorities has increased in real terms by 25 per cent.

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to improve child and adult mental health services. [86798]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Improving child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is one of the priorities for this Government, as emphasised by the
25 July 2006 : Column 1226W
public service agreement standard of a comprehensive CAMHS in every area of England. This commitment to improve CAMHS has been backed by significant additional funding, over £300 million over the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06.

The CAMHS module of the children's national service framework for England (published September 2004) sets the framework for CAMHS for the next 10 years. It sets the standard that all children and young people, from birth to their 18th birthday, who have mental health problems and disorders, will have access to timely, integrated, high quality multidisciplinary mental health services to ensure effective assessment, treatment and support, for them, their parents or carers, and other family members.

Adult mental health services are continuing to implement the national service framework for mental health in order to improve access to effective treatment and care, reduce unfair variation, raise standards, and provide quicker and more convenient services. In line with the targets set in the NHS Plan 343 crisis resolution, 262 assertive outreach and 109 early intervention teams were established in England at the end of March 2005. On the same day, 1,520 community gateway, 654 carer support and 648 graduate workers were in post.

Progress is also being made towards meeting the Department’s public service agreement target to reduce the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010. The rate is now 6.6 per cent. below the baseline.

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people aged under 25 years are placed in adult mental health units in England. [86799]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected on the number of 18 to 25-year-olds placed in adult mental health units nor in the exact format requested.

In the period from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2006 in England, patients aged 17 or under spent 26,659 occupied bed days on adult psychiatric wards.

Mesothelioma

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what palliative treatment is available to patients with mesothelioma. [87444]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The palliative treatment offered to a patient with mesothelioma will depend on their individual condition. The treatment patients should be offered is a matter for the clinical judgment of the physician responsible for their care.

Methyl Bromide

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has made to supermarket chains in relation to their food procurement policies for produce treated with methyl bromide. [85605]

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.


25 July 2006 : Column 1227W

There have been no such representations because, under the Montreal protocol, the use of methyl bromide has been banned in developed countries since 2005 except for quarantine and pre-shipment purposes and critical uses agreed by parties to the protocol. A similar ban comes into force in developing countries in 2015.

Methyl bromide is an ozone depleting substance and the Government's policy is only to support further UK critical uses where lack of availability would cause significant market disruption and there are no technical or economically feasible alternatives.

Midwives

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant midwives’ posts there are in (a) Wakefield West and (b) Eastern Wakefield primary care trust. [85764]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As at March 2005, there were no vacant midwives posts at Wakefield West primary care trust (PCT) and Eastern Wakefield PCT. Data for 2006 is not yet available.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students entered midwifery training in each year since 1997. [85767]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following table.

Midwifery training commissions academic year
Number of commissions

1996-97

659

1997-98

796

1998-99

852

1999-2000

1,015

2000-01

1,098

2001-02

1,146

2002-03

1,433

2003-04

1,469

2004-05

1,639

2005-06

1,559

Source:
Strategic health authority quarterly monitoring returns

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified midwives have been employed in the NHS in each of the last 10 years. [85768]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwife posts are vacant in (a) Barnsley Primary Care Trust and (b) Doncaster West Primary Care Trust. [86380]

Andy Burnham: As at 31 March 2005, there were no vacant midwife posts in Barnsley Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Doncaster West PCT. Figures for 2006 are not yet available.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the attrition rate was for student midwives
25 July 2006 : Column 1228W
in each academic year since 1997; what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the rate; and if she will make a statement. [83761]

Andy Burnham: Information for England on the percentage of pre-registration midwifery students who have left their university course is shown in the table. Each year represents an intake year. A complete measure of attrition for a cohort of students will include withdrawal figures for each year of their programme. No data are available for 2001-02. The attrition data for the 2002-03 academic year onwards administered by the higher education statistics agency are in the process of being analysed by the health services information centre.

Percentage of midwives failing to complete courses

1997-98

18.23

1998-99(1)

17.17

1999-2000(1)

14.59

2000-01(1)

6.7

(1) This data is not complete as it does not include withdrawal rates for each year of the course for the intake year specified.

The Department has commissioned a small piece of research to determine the degree to which the main factors that are correlated with attrition rates are being actively managed by strategic health authorities and higher education institutes (HEIs); and to discover examples of good evidence based practice. This will enable a good practice guide to be compiled to assist strategic health authorities and HEIs with reducing attrition rates. The research is not evaluating the rates of attrition across all HEIs nor is it solely looking at midwifery attrition.

Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make representations to Milton Keynes primary care trust to encourage it to reverse (a) the proposed reductions in (i) mental health day and (ii) drug and alcohol services and (b) the decision to close the memory screening clinic. [85806]

Caroline Flint: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans Milton Keynes primary care trust has to remove funding for the posts of (a) a full-time consultant clinical psychologist and (b) the clinical assistant to consultant clinical psychologist at the Oakhill Secure Training Centre in Milton Keynes. [85826]

Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.


25 July 2006 : Column 1229W

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid in (a) salary, (b) travelling expenses, (c) subsistence allowance and (d) removal expenses to special advisers in her private office in each of the last five years. [69214]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 158-61WS.

Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when it is ready.

The Department’s special advisers incurred the following costs for travel and subsistence in the last two financial years:

Travel and subsistence (£) Removal expenses

2004-05

1,541.07

0

2005-06

366.38

0


It is not possible to separately identify travel and subsistence.

Due to system changes, access to earlier figures would incur disproportionate cost.

Minor Injuries Units

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of patients treated at minor injuries units in (a) England and (b) the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire strategic health authority area were admitted after suffering an accident on a road-side pavement in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [86332]

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not centrally available.

MMR Vaccination

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were vaccinated with the MMR jab in each (a) London primary care trust and (b) London strategic health authority in each of the last five years. [87667]

Caroline Flint: Immunisation data by primary care trust, strategic health authorities and nationally are published annually in the statistical bulletin “NHS Immunisation Statistics, England” which includes London, which is available in the Library.

Morbidity

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys of morbidity for each primary care trust in England are undertaken by her Department. [84023]


25 July 2006 : Column 1230W

Andy Burnham: Surveys of morbidity at primary care trust (PCT) level are not conducted centrally by the Department, national survey usually have samples large enough to report at regional level. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care collects data prevalence of 11 disease areas (coronary heart disease, left ventricular dysfunction, stroke and transient ischaemic attack, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, cancer, mental health and asthma) at PCT level through the quality and outcomes framework. Further information is available from The Information Centre for Health and Social Care's website at:

    www.ic.nhs.uk/services/qof/data/.

MS Nurses

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nurses have been employed specifically to treat sufferers of multiple sclerosis in each year since 1997; [85780]

(2) what assessment she has carried out of the availability of specialist multiple sclerosis nurses within the NHS; and what plans she has for specialist nursing provision in respect of multiple sclerosis. [85781]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally on specific nursing specialties. Work force planning is a matter for local determination, based on service need.

MS Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she is considering (a) new proposals for the inspection of charitable multiple sclerosis treatment centres offering oxygen therapies and (b) a revised charging structure; and if she will make a statement. [88011]

Andy Burnham: We are not considering any such proposals.

The Healthcare Commission consulted on the level of regulatory fees to be paid by private and voluntary healthcare providers in 2006-07 between November 2005 and February 2006. It received and considered over 100 responses, most from small businesses and voluntary organisations, including multiple sclerosis therapy centres offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I recently approved the Healthcare Commission's proposals for revised fees. The Commission wrote to providers on 11 July with details of the new fees, which will come into effect on 1 August. There is no increase in the annual fee of £1,566 payable by providers using type 3 hyperbaric oxygen chambers. Any new providers of this type of therapy registering with the Healthcare Commission for the first time will pay a registration fee of £907, increased from £648 in 2005-06.

NHS Direct

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls to NHS Direct about access to an NHS dentist there were in each month since April 2005 in England, broken down by (a) emergency, (b) urgent and (c) other calls. [81692]


25 July 2006 : Column 1231W

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not currently available for the complete period requested. However, information for the month that complete data are currently available from all NHS Direct sites is shown in the table.

NHS Direct dental calls by type for May 2005
Number

Total

19,956

Emergency

1,643

Urgent

2,712

Routine(1)

13,101

Other (not known)

2,500

(1) Routine includes calls requesting routine information only about where to find a dentist and calls requesting routine dental health advice and information about where to find a dentist.
Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care

Since June 2005, a number of NHS Direct sites have been unable for technical reasons to report the information requested centrally.

NHS Direct are in the process of correcting this technical issue and expect to be in a position to provide the full information requested by October.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on proposed redundancies at NHS Direct at Caterham. [82353]

Ms Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct began a 12-week consultation period with staff and staff side representatives on 16 May 2006 on proposals to ensure that its organisational structure, estates and staffing are fit for purpose to meet future developments and demand. The consultation period is due to end on 16 August 2006. The outcomes of the consultation will be made in due course.

NHS Expenditure

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of total NHS expenditure in (a) 2006, (b) 2008 and (c) 2010 is expected to be budgeted for (i) invoicing, (ii) accounting for and auditing individual patient treatments, (iii) making and monitoring contracts and (iv) marketing and advertising; and what the comparable figures were in (A) 1996, (B) 1998, (C) 2000, (D) 2001 and (E) 2004. [85912]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Finance

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cumulative breakeven position was in 2005 for each NHS organisation in London as reported in the final accounts of national health service trusts. [88962]

Andy Burnham: The latest year for which audited data on the financial position of national health service organisations is available is 2004-05.

The financial position of all NHS organisations in London is shown in the following table. The data given is the break-even cumulative position of NHS trusts.


25 July 2006 : Column 1232W
2004-05 NHS trust break-even cumulative position
£000

Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust

20

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

(19,564)

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

(757)

Barts and The London NHS Trust

(1,054)

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust

28,754

Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust

2,447

Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust

5,392

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust

(164)

Ealing Hospital NHS Trust

(375)

East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust

235

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

(1,736)

Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust

1,771

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust

(18,384)

King's College Hospital NHS Trust

(3,766)

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

75

Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust

(65)

Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

282

North East London Mental Health NHS Trust

333

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

(5,360)

North West London Hospitals NHS Trust

(13,546)

Oxleas NHS Trust

1,243

Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust

(8,942)

Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust

(6,512)

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust

(3,165)

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

(3,769)

South London and Maudsley NHS Trust

(339)

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust

401

St George's Healthcare NHS Trust

(23,596)

St Mary's NHS Trust

(4,570)

Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust

54

The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust

(1,295)

The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust

(6,646)

The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

(1,500)

West London Mental Health NHS Trust

(1,353)

West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

(4,943)

Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust

63

(610,539)

Note:
2004-05 data does not include information relating to NHS foundation trusts.
Source:
Audited NHS Trust summarisation schedules 2004-05.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances (a) primary care trusts and (b) social services departments pay the full cost of the care they commission; and what steps she is taking to ensure this is the case. [83106]

Andy Burnham: This is dependent on the terms on which commissioners have contracted with providers locally. The payment by results (PbR) system will help
25 July 2006 : Column 1233W
to ensure a fairer and more consistent basis for paying national health service trusts and foundation trusts. Funding is negotiated locally or through national procurement exercises for services outside the scope of PbR, including all NHS services commissioned from independent and voluntary sector providers. In contracting for services outside the scope of PbR the onus is on the provider to reflect the full cost of these in their pricing and recover from the responsible primary care trust or social services department in accordance with the agreed contract terms.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the total health service expenditure in (a) Hillingdon and (b) Greater London was spent directly on (i) health care, (ii) administration and (iii) prescriptions in each of the last 10 years. [86477]

Andy Burnham: The table shows data for 1998-98 to 2004-05, which are the earliest and latest years for which this information is available. Data given is the purchase of health care and expenditure on administration and prescribing costs by primary care trusts (PCTs), health authorities (HAs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs). Hillingdon expenditure is the expenditure by Hillingdon HA for 1998-99 and 1999-2000, by Hillingdon HA and Hillingdon PCT for 2000-01 to 2001-02, and by Hillingdon PCT for 2002-03 to 2004-05. London expenditure is the expenditure by the previous HAs, current and previous PCTs and the previous five SHAs within the London area.


25 July 2006 : Column 1234W
Expenditure in Hillingdon and London
£000
Purchase of health care Administration Prescribing costs

1998-99

Hillingdon

158,465

4,272

12,526

London

5,207,554

124,105

288,496

1999-2000

Hillingdon

178,341

2,922

20,337

London

5,944,972

139,267

631,696

2000-01

Hillingdon

152,255

6,256

23,308

London

6,592,827

128,783

675,341

2001-02

Hillingdon

205,102

7,167

25,036

London

7,329,212

186,883

728,603

2002-03

Hillingdon

209,492

n/a

26,846

London

8,201,210

n/a

787,224

2003-04

Hillingdon

237,232

7,993

29,342

London

8,749,018

342,751

861,691

2004-05

Hillingdon

269,946

4,366

32,072

London

9,954,274

193,796

920,187

Notes:
1. Prescribing costs—the Prescription Pricing Authority accounted for an element of prescribing costs in 1998-99; it is not possible to include this expenditure. Prescribing costs are also included within the purchase of health care expenditure.
2. Administration—figures relating to administration costs are not available for 2002-03. The method of calculating administration costs was changed for 2004-05.
3. Figures shown for purchase of health care are not the total expenditure, because expenditure accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority is excluded. This expenditure cannot be included within figures for individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts.
Sources:
Audited annual accounts of London health authorities 1998-99.
Audited London health authority summarisation forms 1999-2000 to 2001-02.
Audited London strategic health authority summarisation forms 2002-03 to 2004-05.
Audited London primary care trust summarisation schedules 2000-01 to 2004-05.
Annual financial returns of London strategic health authorities and primary care trusts 2004-05.

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the year-end financial position was for (a) Hillingdon Hospital, (b) the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust and (c) Hillingdon Primary Care Trust in each of the last five financial years. [86480]

Andy Burnham: The data requested is shown in the table.

£000
Final outturn surplus/(deficit)
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Hillingdon Hospital National Health Service Trust

22

20

(963)

23

2,212

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust

50

20

6

(3,217)

3,240

Hillingdon Primary Care Trust

4

22

(672)

(13,470)

(36,506)


NHS Marketing

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of (a) the extent of the establishment of marketing departments in the NHS as a consequence of the extension of patient choice and (b) the extent to which NHS providers are asserting their intellectual property rights over specialisms rather than sharing their expertise as a consequence of the new commercial environment. [85974]


25 July 2006 : Column 1235W

Andy Burnham: The Department has made no assessment of the extent of the establishment of marketing departments in the national health service nor the extent to which NHS providers are asserting their intellectual property rights.

The Department has set out in the ‘Operating Framework for 2006/07’ the importance of patients and the public having access to reliable information about the services available to them, so that they can exercise informed choice. NHS trusts must decide upon a suitable level of marketing activity which should present accurate and fair information about services and must follow statutory guidelines, such as the advertising standards authority code. The Department will be consulting on a code of practice for marketing services to NHS patients.

The NHS plan commits the NHS to ensuring that new technologies are identified and developed in the interests of NHS patients and society as a whole. The Department published ‘A Framework and Guidance on the Management of Intellectual Property in the NHS’, which became operational on 9 September 2002.

NHS Senior Staff

Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS senior staff have resigned from NHS trusts within North Staffordshire in the last 12 months; and where in the UK they have indicated that they are taking new jobs. [87397]

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Trust Turnaround Teams

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which NHS trusts turnaround teams were sent during the last 12 months; when the review and audit took place; which company undertook the review and audit; and what the total cost of the review and audit was in each case (a) to the NHS, (b) to the trust and (c) to other contributors. [87447]

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced the turnaround teams in a written ministerial statement on 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS.

The first stage of this is a baseline assessment, the aim of which is to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions are in hand to address this. The contract for the baseline assessment which took place during December 2005 (phase 1) and February 2006 (phase 2) was awarded to consultants KPMG

The following national health service trusts were assessed by KPMG:


25 July 2006 : Column 1236W

25 July 2006 : Column 1237W

25 July 2006 : Column 1238W
Organisation Phase Ranking

North East

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust

1

3

Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT)

1

3

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust

1

3

North West

Cheshire West PCT

1

1

North Cumbria NHS Trust

2

1

North Cumbria PCT

2

1

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

1

2

East Cheshire NHS Trust

1

2

The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust

1

2

Morecambe Bay NHS Trust

2

3

Morecambe Bay PCT

2

3

Yorkshire and the Humber

Sheffield North PCT

1

1

Sheffield South East PCT

1

1

Sheffield South West PCT

1

1

Sheffield West PCT

1

1

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

1

1

Selby and York PCT

1

1

Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT

2

2

Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT

2

2

Barnsley PCT

2

4

East Midlands

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

2

1

High Peak and Dales PCT

2

2

West Midlands

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

1

1

South Warwickshire NHS Trust

2

1

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

1

1

University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust

1

1

Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust

1

2

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

1

2

North Stoke PCT

1

2

Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust

1

3

East of England

Cambridge City PCT

1

2

South Cambridgeshire PCT

1

2

Colchester PCT

2

2

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust

1

2

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

1

2

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

1

2

North Norfolk PCT

2

3

Waveney PCT

2

3

Broadlands PCT

1

3

Southern Norfolk PCT

1

3

Suffolk West PCT

1

3

Ipswich PCT

1

3

West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust

1

3

Essex Rivers NHS Trust

2

3

Princess Alex Harlow NHS Trust

2

3

Suffolk Coastal PCT

1

3

Bedford Hospitals NHS Trust

1

3

Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT

1

3

Witham, Braintree and Halstead Care PCT

1

3

Chelmsford PCT

1

3

Tendring PCT

2

4

London

Mayday Hospital NHS Trust

2

1

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

1

1

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust

1

1

Hillingdon PCT

1

1

St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust

1

2

North West London Hospitals NHS Trust

1

2

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

1

2

Royal Free NHS Trust

2

2

Hounslow PCT

1

2

Kensington and Chelsea PCT

1

2

West Middlesex University NHS Trust

1

2

Queen Mary’s Sidcup NHS Trust

1

2

Bexley PCT

2

2

Kingston PCT

2

2

The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust

1

3

Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust

1

3

Wandsworth PCT

1

3

Lewisham PCT

2

3

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust

1

4

Bromley PCT

2

4

South East Coast

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

1

1

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

1

1

The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust

1

1

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

2

2

Maidstone Weald PCT

2

2

South West Kent PCT

2

2

Guildford and Waverley PCT

2

2

East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT

2

2

Ashford and St. Peters NHS Trust

2

3

South Central

Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT

1

2

East Hampshire PCT

1

2

Fareham and Gosport PCT

1

2

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust

1

2

Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust

1

2

North Hampshire PCT

2

3

New Forest PCT

1

3

Isle of Wight NHS Trust

2

3

Isle of Wight PCT

2

3

North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust

1

4

South West

Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT

1

1

West Wiltshire PCT

1

1

Weston Area Health NHS Trust

2

1

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

2

1

Dacorum PCT

2

1

Cotswold and Vale PCT

1

2

North Somerset PCT

2

2

North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust

1

3

Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust

2

3

South Wiltshire PCT

1

3


Information on costs is being presented to the Health Select Committee during July and October.

Non-medical Staff (Gloucestershire)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many administrative and managerial staff have been employed by (a) each of the primary care trusts in Gloucestershire and (b) the Hospital Trust in Gloucestershire in each year of their existence; what the cost has been of that employment; and if she will make a statement. [74261]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following tables show the amount of administrative and managerial staff employed at all primary care trusts (PCTs) and hospital trusts in Gloucestershire.

Number
PCT name Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Cotswold and Vale West Gloucestershire

2001-02

n/a

n/a

n/a

2002-03

90

253

209

2003-04

108

284

254

2004-05

144

298

250


Primary care trust staff costs: administrative and managers
£000
PCT name Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Cotswold and Vale West Gloucestershire

2001-02

Administrative

n/a

n/a

n/a

Managers

n/a

n/a

n/a

2002-03

Administrative

775

3,512

3,190

Managers

1,100

2,025

991

2003-04

Administrative

940

3,565

2,295

Managers

1,541

2,314

1,937

2004-05

Administrative

1,450

4,074

2,684

Managers

2,318

3,077

2,608



25 July 2006 : Column 1239W

25 July 2006 : Column 1240W
National health service trust staff numbers: administration and estates
Number
NHS trust name East Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Hospitals Gloucestershire Royal Severn

1998-99

578

n/a

458

349

1999-2000

602

n/a

470

344

2000-01

652

n/a

484

355

2001-02

700

n/a

510

376

2002-03

n/a

992

n/a

n/a

2003-04

n/a

1,054

n/a

n/a

2004-05

n/a

1,051

n/a

n/a


NHS trust staff costs: administrative and managers
£000
NHS trust name East Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Hospitals Gloucestershire Royal Severn

1998-99

Administrative

7,472

n/a

9,413

4,586

Managers

2,059

n/a

1,535

1,739

1999-2000

Administrative

8,069

n/a

9,395

4,679

Managers

2,289

n/a

1,654

1,796

2000-01

Administrative

8,850

n/a

10,055

4,724

Managers

2,593

n/a

1,926

2,039

2001-02

Administrative

9,999

n/a

10,905

5,175

Managers

2,934

n/a

2,056

2,200

2002-03

Administrative

n/a

17,920

n/a

n/a

Managers

n/a

5,330

n/a

n/a

2003-04

Administrative

n/a

19,317

n/a

n/a

Managers

n/a

5,935

n/a

n/a

2004-05

Administrative

n/a

5,546

n/a

n/a

Managers

n/a

1,734

n/a

n/a


North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) stroke and (b) heart attack patients have died on the way to hospital in a North West ambulance service NHS trust ambulance in each of the last five years; and how long the journey was in (i) miles and (ii) minutes on each occasion. [89040]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Obesity

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts are not providing medical treatment to patients with a body mass index in excess of 30; and if she will make a statement. [81113]

Caroline Flint: The Department does not collect this information.

Osteoporosis

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has evaluated on (a) the effectiveness of measures to identify patients at risk of osteoporosis and (b) the treatment of osteoporosis by primary care organisations; and if she will make a statement. [81622]

Andy Burnham: None. The Department has not commissioned research in this area, nor are we aware that any such research has been undertaken.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost implications of the implementation of the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance for the prevention of osteoporatic fractures. [89071]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a guideline on the


25 July 2006 : Column 1241W

    “assessment of fracture risk and the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk”.

That work is ongoing. NICE guidelines include a costing report and costing template to provide an implementation tool to estimate the financial impact to the national health service of implementing their clinical guidelines.

Outsourcing

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work her Department has undertaken (a) to develop a process for primary care trusts, NHS trusts and foundation trusts to assess best value when outsourcing service provision and (b) to develop criteria for trusts to evaluate work that has been outsourced. [85280]

Ms Rosie Winterton: On 13 July, the Department published Health reform in England: update and commissioning framework, which outlines the role of primary care trusts (PCTs) in commissioning services. The framework makes clear that, where provision is either unavailable or failing to meet required standards, PCTs will be encouraged to use open tendering as a way of ensuring innovation, quality, value and choice for patients.

As set out in the White Paper, “Our health, our care, our say”, where PCTs provide services they will need to put in place clear governance procedures for commissioning decisions. These procedures will include independent scrutiny by strategic health authorities and should be transparent to all potential contractors and staff.

Contracts will be the key accountability mechanism between commissioners and providers of national health service services. The Department is consulting on whether to develop a national model contract that commissioners could use as a basis for managing providers’ performance, and on the criteria that the model contract might contain.

Overview and Scrutiny Committees

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the powers of local authority overview and scrutiny committees; and if she will make a statement. [84857]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to change the statutory powers of overview and scrutiny committees. “A stronger local voice” sets out Government’s plans for the future of patient and public involvement, which includes encouraging overview and scrutiny committees to focus on how health and social services are commissioned.

Palliative and End of Life Care

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the allocation of £12 million for 2006-07 will be released for the NHS end of life care programme and the gold standards framework in community palliative care. [89132]


25 July 2006 : Column 1242W

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have provided £12 million of funding for the end of life care programme, to be spread out over the three years from 2004 to 2007. In 2006-07, the funding will be included as part of a block sum for strategic health authorities to manage. To ensure the desired outcomes are achieved, this will be accompanied by a service level agreement.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer parliamentary written questions (a) 82270, (b) 82271, (c) 82272 and (d) 82273, on telephones in hospitals, tabled by the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale for answer on 3 July. [87142]

Andy Burnham: Replies were given on 24 July and on 18 July, Official Report, columns 385-86W.

Patient Satisfaction (London)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the London strategic health authorities have been requested to produce an action plan to ensure an increased level of patient satisfaction with their perception of levels of care. [86684]

Andy Burnham: The London strategic health authority (SHA) has commissioned a study to establish the public perception of the national health service in London and intends to use the results to target areas for improved performance.

The action to commission a study was contained in the SHA’s Chief Executive’s report to the first public board meeting on 10 July.

Personal Bedside Telephone Services

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has reviewed the findings of the survey undertaken by Patient and Public Involvement Forums into the costs associated with personal bedside telephone services in NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement. [86373]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has set up a review group to explore the issue of costs to users of the bedside television and telephone systems in national health service hospitals. The patient and public involvement forums findings will form part of the review group’s work.

Practice Allowance

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she has made in establishing an expanding practice allowance. [84463]

Ms Rosie Winterton: We are currently working with NHS Employers to develop the new allowance proposed in paragraph 3.33 of the White Paper “Our Health Our Care Our Say”.


25 July 2006 : Column 1243W

Prostate Cancer

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department has put in place to improve the delivery of information to prostate cancer sufferers about relevant cancer support. [86683]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department is clear about the need for all cancer patients to be able to access up-to-date and accessible information about their condition and that is why we are working closely with cancer charities to improve services. This is being facilitated by the coalition for cancer information, set up by the Department in 2002 bringing together key organisations to develop a coordinated approach to provision and dissemination of information.

In March 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on supportive and palliative care. One of its recommendations included the provision of high quality information to patients. The cancer services collaborative “Improvement Partnership” national patient information programme is supporting cancer networks to implement this guidance. This work will ensure that as part of their on-going cancer care, cancer patients and their carers will be offered high-quality information materials, tailored to their individual needs, at appropriate stages in their care pathways. The recent White Paper, “Our health, our care, our say”, stated that by 2008. everyone with a long term condition (and their carers) will receive an information prescription to signpost them to sources of information, support and advice.

Decisions about treatment for prostate cancer can often be difficult and complicated. The first phase of the action on urology implementation of decision aids for urological cancers pilot programme ended in 2005. The pilot was designed to implement the use of decision aids for men with prostate cancer into routine practice in the national health service. The programme found that patients and professionals found the decision aids helpful in supporting the decision-making process. The second phase of the programme has now begun, aiming to enhance effectiveness before national roll-out take place. Six pilot sites are involved in the second phase.

Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public appointments are within her patronage; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83178]

Andy Burnham: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department can be found in ‘Public Bodies’, copies of which are in the Library. ‘Public Bodies’ has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of ‘Public Bodies’ contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


25 July 2006 : Column 1244W

Details of the remuneration for the public bodies sponsored by the Department for 2006 may be found under ‘People in Post 2006’ at:

    www.appointments.org.uk/publications.asp

No public appointments to bodies sponsored by the Department attract emoluments beyond the daily fee or remuneration referred to.

Reconfigurations

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient and public involvement forums have objected to proposed re-configurations of hospitals and hospital services in each year since 2003. [83843]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Religious Issues

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's list of organisations consulted on religious issues affecting matters concerning her Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Network of Buddhist Organisations is representative of that faith's adherents; and if she will make a statement. [85934]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has made no such assessment. The Network of Buddhist Organisations is one of a range of faith organisations that the Department consults with on relevant issues. For example, the Network of Buddhist Organisations is a member of independently formed multi-faith group which the Department maintains close contact with as part of our commitment to a multi-faith approach to NHS Chaplaincy.

Rural Health Services

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of rural households had access to primary health care facilities within 4 km, not including mobile provision and branch services, in each year since 1997. [85132]

Andy Burnham: This information is not held centrally by the Department.

Sheppey Community Hospital

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1568W, on Sheppey community hospital, if she will clarify when the new x-ray scanner will be installed and operational. [89039]

Caroline Flint: The NHS South East Coast has advised that at a meeting held on 12 July at Sheppey hospital, details for the installation of the new X-ray scanner were finalised. An agreement was reached to dismantle the old equipment during the week commencing 17 July 2006 and it is anticipated that installation of the new machine will start once this has been completed. Installation will take around three weeks from start to finish.


25 July 2006 : Column 1245W

Silver Alloy Catheters

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients with relevant conditions use silver alloy catheters; and what savings have been identified as a result of their use. [86405]

Andy Burnham: The data requested are not collected centrally.

The ultimate decision on which type of catheter is used for patients is a clinical one. Recently updated guidelines(1) commissioned by the Department indicate that further properly conducted trials are required to obtain definitive conclusions on the cost effectiveness of these catheters.

    (1 )The epic project. Updating the evidence base for national evidence based guidelines for preventing health care associated infections in NHS hospital in England: a report with recommendations. Pellowe CM, Pratt RJ, Loveday HP, Harper P, Robinson N, Jones SRLJ. Brit J Infect Control 2004; 5: 10-16.

Sir Alistair Graham

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Question 80515, how many days a year were expected from Sir Alistair Graham as a member of the (a) NHS Appointments Commission and (b) West Yorkshire strategic health authority. [85983]

Andy Burnham: Sir Alistair Graham would have been expected to work in the order of 150 days a year for each of the NHS Appointments Commission and the West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority. These appointments did not run concurrently.

Skipton Fund

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1816, on the Skipton Fund, whether (a) a panel has been appointed to hear appeals to the Skipton Fund and (b) a timetable has been set for the commencement of appeals to the Skipton Fund; and if she will make a statement. [87380]

Caroline Flint: The NHS Appointments Commission (NHSAC) will be interviewing further candidates for the Skipton Fund appeals panel at the end of this month, as no applications for two of the positions had been received by the original closing date. The recommendations of the interviewing panel will then be forwarded for consideration by the NHSAC board. Once the panel has been appointed, the timetable for hearing appeals will be arranged by the panel chair and the secretariat.

Small Acute Hospitals

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made since the Department published its policy guidance entitled Keeping the NHS Local—A New Direction of Travel in respect of the protection and enhancement of small acute hospitals located remotely from larger district general hospitals. [87463]


25 July 2006 : Column 1246W

Andy Burnham: Following “Keeping the NHS Local” the Department has worked to support strategic health authorities (SHAs) in their work with the local national health service in designing new models of service within the policy framework, especially about undertaking effective public engagement and consultation.

More recently the director of programmes and performance at the Department wrote to SHAs on 16 February 2006 reminding them of the policy position set out in the White Paper “Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services”, specifically 6.42 which said that

    “community facilities should not be lost in response to short-term budgetary pressures that are not related to the viability of the community facility itself”.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many small acute hospitals have been (a) subject to a withdrawal of emergency facilities, (b) subject to a reduction of acute facilities, (c) closed, (d) proposed for closure, (e) subject to an overall closure in emergency facilities and (f) subject to an overall closure in acute facilities since the publication of the policy guidance Keeping the NHS Local—A New Direction of Travel. [87488]

Andy Burnham: This information is not held by the Department.

Stipendiary Chaplains

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time stipendiary chaplains are working in the national health service in England; how many are (i) Christian, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Muslim, (iv) Hindu, (v) Sikh, and (vi) of other religions; and what the total cost was to public funds of providing NHS chaplaincy services in the last year for which figures are available. [87324]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect data on NHS hospital chaplaincy.

Sunglasses

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to encourage the wearing of sunglasses; [85967]

(2) what research her Department has commissioned into the effects on eye health in (a) adults and (b) children of wearing sunglasses. [85968]

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency’s (then national radiological protection board) advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR) produced a report in 2002 on the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on human health, which included advice on effects on the eye. The main source of UVR for the majority of people is the sun.

There has been no specific action taken and there are no plans to encourage the wearing of sunglasses, as the advice is not straightforward. The executive summary of the AGNIR report includes the following advice.
25 July 2006 : Column 1247W
The eyes can be protected by wearing a hat, eyeshades and using sunglasses that exclude both direct and reflected UVR. It is important that theses sunglasses include wraparound protection. Sunglasses fitted with small lenses offer inadequate protection and may actually increase risk of eye damage as they can cause dilation of the pupils and allow the entry of more UVR into the eye from around the periphery of the sunglasses.

The United Kingdom SunSmart Campaign, run by Cancer Research UK and funded by the Department also has advice about eye protections from the sun.

Third Sector Care

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of her Department’s expenditure in 2006-07 is expected to be spent on treatments and care provided by the third sector; and what that figure is expected to be by 2009. [85910]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available centrally.

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff her Department expects to move across to the third sector from their current employment with the NHS by the end of 2010. [85911]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As we noted in ‘Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework’, published on 13 July 2006, many third sector providers are vital partners in delivery of care. Our policy is to support greater participation by third sector organisations where they can help deliver better services with better value for money.

We are taking forward the conclusions and commitments of the Third Sector Commissioning Task Force. However, the Department has no target or proposals for staff to move from the national health service to the third sector.

Trans Fatty Acids

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) estimated adult intake of trans fatty acids and (b) recommended maximum threshold for health was in each year that records are available. [86103]

Caroline Flint: The most recent data available, from national diet and nutrition survey of adults carried out in 2000-01, shows average intakes of trans fatty acids at 1.2 per cent. of food energy. Previous comparable data from 1986-87 show adult average intakes of trans fatty acids at 2.2 per cent, of food energy.

In 1991, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy recommended that population average intakes of trans fatty acids should not exceed 2 per cent, of food energy. No specific recommendations about the dietary intake of trans fatty acids had been established at the time of the 1986-87 survey.


25 July 2006 : Column 1248W

Trust Reconfiguration

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultations concerning reconfiguration of hospital trusts in England have (a) been referred to her Department and (b) subsequently been upheld by her Department in each of the last five years. [86729]

Andy Burnham: There has been one referral from a Community Health Council and 16 primary care trust (PCT) and trust referrals from overview and scrutiny committees to the Secretary of State for Health in relation to contested service reconfigurations. The table sets out the outcome in each case.

Number of referrals Outcome

1

Referral upheld

1

Proposals withdrawn by PCT in favour of wide-ranging review

4

Ministerial decision to support changes referred for consideration

2

Referred back for national health service and stakeholders to reach local agreement

2

Referred to Independent Reconfiguration Panel for advice

6

Being considered by the Department


vCJD Compensation Scheme

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that administrative costs paid to Charles Russell solicitors for their administration of the vCJD compensation scheme are kept as low as possible; and if she will make a statement. [86539]

Caroline Flint: The vCJD Trust has appointed the legal firm, Charles Russell, to provide support. The trust is independent of the Department and these arrangements, and their costs, are therefore the responsibility of the trust. Both the Department and the trust agree on the importance of minimising costs wherever possible.

Waiting Lists (Southend)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on NHS waiting lists in Southend-on-Sea for (a) elective surgery and (b) out-patient appointments; what the (i) average and (ii) longest wait was in each case in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement. [87316]

Andy Burnham: Waiting times figures for Southend-on-Sea Primary Care Trust, the latest available are shown in the table.

In-patient Out-patient

Number on list

3,255

4,094

Longest wait

5-6 months

8-13 weeks

Average wait (weeks)

6.3

6.1


No patients waited longer than six months or 13 weeks.


25 July 2006 : Column 1249W

Ward Sister

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors were taken into account when the decision was made to abolish the post of ward sister; and if she will make a statement. [85430]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There has been no decision to abolish the post of ward sister. Some trusts have chosen to call ward sisters by other names such as charge nurse or ward manager but the core components of the role have remained the same. Ward sisters are at the heart of delivering high quality care to patients in a variety of settings and they have a vital role within nursing.

Written Questions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many written questions to her Department remain unanswered at 25 July for (a) between two and four weeks, (b) between four and six weeks, (c) between six
25 July 2006 : Column 1250W
and eight weeks and (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer. [87921]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This session, we have received over 13,000 questions for written answer. As at today, there are 26 written questions unanswered for between two and four weeks, 11 for between four and six weeks, five for between six and eight weeks, and seven more than eight weeks. None were questions tabled for answer on a named day.

York NHS Trust

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were at York NHS Trust (a) in each specialty and (b) in total excluding the specialties transferred to Selby and York Primary Care Trust in each year since 1996-97. [87134]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available in the format requested. However, finished consultant episodes at York Hospitals NHS Trust in each specialty are shown in the table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1251W

25 July 2006 : Column 1252W
Main specialty 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 1999-2000 1998-99 1997-98 1996-97

General surgery

8,972

8,727

8,034

7,440

7,493

7,620

7,618

6,929

7,290

Urology

5,326

5,345

4,817

4,719

4,860

4,432

4,441

4,319

4,390

Trauma and orthopaedics

5,548

5,566

5,158

4,649

4,660

4,468

4,560

4,274

4,375

Ear, nose and throat

2,075

2,041

2,050

2,301

2,193

2,166

2,134

1,833

2,211

Ophthalmology

3,134

2,534

2,290

2,272

2,253

2,288

2,175

1,885

1,923

Oral surgery

1,491

1,409

1,354

1,223

1,244

1,368

1,351

1,268

1,215

Restorative dentistry

7

339

336

333

364

397

422

Plastic surgery

*

Cardiothoracic surgery

*

Accident and emergency

356

1,879

29

*

134

460

731

1,361

Anaesthetics

1,900

16,536

1,882

1,918

1,906

2,292

2,469

2,345

1,174

General medicine

18,003

684

15,561

14,076

12,888

12,002

11,592

10,961

10,604

Haematology (clinical)

991

62

667

824

938

1,391

1,310

1,043

814

Dermatology

49

75

103

127

148

170

113

132

Genito-urinary medicine

*

*

Medical oncology

166

165

190

269

348

126

*

*

Neurology

508

670

520

510

429

397

404

409

441

Rheumatology

233

256

172

184

190

265

318

351

290

Paediatrics

4,898

4,651

4,124

4,158

3,908

4,168

3,741

3,321

3,291

Geriatric medicine

9,316

7,756

6,160

5,448

5,216

5,021

5,254

4,561

4,311

Gynaecology

10,664

9,738

9,310

9,463

9,312

9,306

13,257

13,471

13,572

General medical practice

1,687

General practice with maternity function

1,631

1,581

1,359

1,648

1,737

493

125

201

General practice other than maternity

370

411

437

480

522

519

Mental handicap

46

35

40

38

42

76

Mental illness

614

686

694

904

874

993

Child adolescent and psychiatry

53

50

48

42

44

53

Old age psychiatry

612

616

685

663

643

677

Radiotherapy

*

Radiology

*

*

*

*

Chemical pathology

214

40

38

80

80

190

121

72

67

Histopathology

*


Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent (a) medical consultants, (b) other medical staff, (c) nurses, (d) other professional staff, (e) administrative and clerical staff and (f) auxiliary staff were employed by York NHS Trust in all areas excluding those transferred to Selby and York Primary Care Trust in each year since 1996-97. [87135]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information has been set out in the table.

NHS hospital and community health services: Medical and dental and non-medical staff in York Hospitals NHS Trust by specified staff groups data as at 30 September each year full time equivalent
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

York Hospitals NHS Trust

3,660

3,504

3,517

3,732

3,224

2,842

3,111

3,247

3,302

All HCHS medical and dental staff

261

274

283

281

258

237

294

320

344

Consultant

102

98

110

109

120

113

119

131

149

Other grades

159

176

172

171

138

124

174

189

195

All non-medical staff

3,399

3,230

3,234

3,451

2,967

2,605

2,817

2,927

2,958

Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff

1,362

1,235

1,268

1,375

1,132

915

948

990

1,023

Other professionally qualified clinical staff

409

431

438

465

344

355

387

402

407

Central functions

166

155

190

208

171

183

196

215

202

Other staff

1,463

1,408

1,338

1,403

1,319

1,153

1,286

1,319

1,327

Sources:
1. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census
2. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for (a) elective in-patient admissions and (b) first out-patient appointments were in each specialty at York NHS trust in each year since 1996-97. [87136]

Andy Burnham: The information requested is in the following tables.


25 July 2006 : Column 1253W

25 July 2006 : Column 1254W
Out-patient waiting times for York Health Services Trust 1997 to 2006, median waiting time for first out-patient appointment from a general practitioner referral to a consultant
Weeks
Speciality
Quarter ending March Anaesthetics Dermatology General surgery Urology Trauma and orthopaedics Ear, nose and throat

1997

10.2

4.5

3.9

10.1

11.1

6.3

1998

n/a

6.7

5.9

11.9

10.6

8.2

1999

9.9

9.2

7.6

16.5

13.0

9.5

2000

11.8

8.0

7.3

13.1

14.3

11.7

2001

8.7

7.2

3.9

7.8

13.0

7.0

2002

9.8

10.6

3.5

7.8

10.1

8.8

2003

8.9

10.7

4.8

7.9

11.6

9.6

2004

12.8

7.9

5.5

9.9

7.8

11.7

2005

17.9

7.4

6.3

11.0

8.8

11.9

2006

8.2

6.2

5.9

7.5

6.7

7.0


Weeks
Speciality
General medicine Genito-urinary medicine Oral surgery Geriatric medicine Neurology Obstetrics and gynaecology (obstetrics A/N)

1997

8.0

n/a

7.2

n/a

12.4

3.3

1998

8.4

n/a

4.1

n/a

11.1

3.3

1999

9.6

n/a

3.8

3.5

18.4

5.8

2000

9.7

n/a

5.0

3.8

13.2

5.5

2001

9.2

n/a

4.2

5.7

19.8

6.4

2002

8.6

2.0

7.0

5.6

30.3

6.3

2003

8.2

2.0

3.8

6.5

13.4

6.6

2004

9.2

2.0

6.1

3.8

14.3

6.7

2005

7.7

2.0

7.5

3.3

11.5

6.4

2006

6.4

2.0

6.8

3.5

7.5

n/a


Weeks
Speciality
Obstetrics and gynaecology (gynaecology) Ophthalmology Orthodontics Paediatrics Rheumatology Total

1997

3.6

9.3

8.4

7.1

7.8

5.9

1998

4.3

9.9

11.6

8.4

7.3

6.6

1999

7.7

10.6

15.8

5.9

8.4

8.4

2000

8.3

11.5

17.6

7.5

5.5

8.9

2001

3.6

8.8

10.4

6.1

6.0

6.9

2002

3.7

7.9

11.3

6.5

6.8

6.1

2003

3.9

6.9

15.5

6.8

8.5

6.4

2004

5.0

7.8

15.6

5.9

9.9

6.4

2005

3.6

6.8

17.2

6.0

8.3

6.4

2006

3.8

4.8

9.9

7.2

7.9

5.4

Note:
Only includes specialties with over 100 patients
Source:
Department of Health QM08

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cyprus

13. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to help bring about the reunification of Cyprus. [87881]

Mr. Hoon: We fully support the UN’s efforts and welcome the recent agreement between the two leaders on a mechanism for dialogue. We are urging both sides to take advantage of this opportunity, and working within the Security Council to ensure its full support for these efforts.

India

14. Mr. Piara S. Khabra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the UK Government are providing to the relatives of the victims of the bombings in Mumbai and the Government of India in its fight against terrorism. [87882]

Mr. McCartney: Clearly our thoughts are with the relatives and friends of those killed and injured in these barbaric attacks. Following the explosions the Prime Minister spoke to Dr. Manmohan Singh. Both the PM and our Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai offered the Indian Government any assistance that might be required in the aftermath of these attacks. We are currently awaiting India’s response.


25 July 2006 : Column 1255W

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives from the (a) Indian and (b) Pakistani Governments regarding the Mumbai bombings. [87969]

Dr. Howells: UK officials here and in India have been in detailed discussions with the Indian authorities following the bombings. We have made offers of assistance to the Indian Government but to date they have not come back with any specific requests.

Officials from our High Commission in Islamabad have regular and frequent contact with the Pakistani Government, and have discussed the explosions in Mumbai with them. We welcome their rapid condemnation of these attacks and their offer to the Indian authorities to co-operate in any investigation.

Middle East

15. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Israel on the situation in the Middle East. [87883]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is engaged actively in the situation in the Middle East and will be attending the Lebanon Core Group meeting in Rome tomorrow. She has been in regular contact with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and, in close communication with my right hon. Friend, since Friday 21 July I have attended meetings in Cyprus, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Ramallah and Amman.

16. Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the prospects for peace in the Middle East. [87884]

Dr. Howells: Whilst we need an urgent end to the current crisis, real peace can only come through a lasting settlement. Negotiations are manifestly the best way to move the peace process forward. We welcome the commitment given by both Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas to negotiations and have urged both sides to resume talks. We do, however, remain acutely concerned at Syrian and Iranian support for Hizbollah and other extremist groups.

20. Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the security situation in the Middle East. [87888]

Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright).

We are gravely concerned by the crisis in the Middle East. This threatens the wider security of the region, and is causing huge civilian suffering on all sides. We are committed to helping resolve this crisis. We want an immediate end to the violence and the release of the Israeli soldiers. Our priority is to create conditions for a credible and sustainable cease-fire.


25 July 2006 : Column 1256W

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with the ambassadors of the Government of (i) Syria, (ii) Lebanon and (iii) Iran about Hezbollah terrorists firing rockets into the state of Israel; what reply was received in each case; and if she will make a statement. [87102]

Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been in contact with his Lebanese counterpart to offer his support. As he told the House on 18 July

    “I have spoken to the Prime Minister of Lebanon. I think Lebanon is looking for international help. The precise way in which that is used and the implications for its own armed forces are matters for debate. I believe the Prime Minister of Lebanon wants to do the right thing. The people around him are desperate for some stability in their country and they feel very angry that they are caught in the present situation. We should be helping them in any way we can”.

Our ambassador in Beirut has also been in regular contact with the Lebanese Government.

Our embassy in Damascus has been in contact with Syrian officials and we have also twice summoned the Syrian ambassador in London to pressure Syria to take action in relation to Hezbollah.

We have had no recent contacts with Iran about Hezbollah but we will keep up the diplomatic pressure on Iran to comply with its international obligations.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) discussions and (b) representations (i) Ministers and (ii) officials have had with governments of the European Union about Hezbollah terrorism; and if she will make a statement. [87103]

Mr. Hoon: At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 July, EU Foreign Ministers condemned the attacks by Hezbollah on Israel and the abduction of two Israeli soldiers and called for their immediate and unconditional release and for the cessation of all attacks on Israeli towns and cities. They also recalled the need for the Lebanese state to restore its sovereignty over the whole of its national territory and to do its utmost to prevent such attacks, and expressed their support for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. They also urged the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1559 and UNSCR 1680, including disbanding and disarming of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, and strict respect of the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and political independence of Lebanon. In the past, Ministers and officials have regularly discussed Hezbollah with EU colleagues.

Both Ministers and officials will continue to work with EU partners towards the cessation of violence in the region.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support she has offered to the high-level UN delegation to the Middle East UN mission; what its aims are; and when its mission will end. [87555]


25 July 2006 : Column 1257W

Margaret Beckett: We fully support the UN delegation to the Middle East and are offering the team logistical assistance on the ground. We flew the delegates to and from Beirut from UK airbases. The role of the three person team, led by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Political Adviser, Mr. Vijay Nambiar, is to help defuse the major crisis in the region. The other members are UN Envoy for the Middle East Mr. Alvaro de Soto and UN Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004) Mr. Terje Roed Larsen. The UN mission will deliver to all parties the UN Secretary-General’s call to exercise restraint and to do whatever possible to help contain the conflict. It will also reiterate the UN Secretary-General’s message to respect international humanitarian law and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We expect a briefing in the Security Council from Mr. Nambiar on 20 July and to hear from the UN Secretary-General’s recommendations on next steps.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. [87558]

Margaret Beckett: We continue to have concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Electricity and water supplies remain irregular. In a statement on 19 July, the Israel Defence Force said it opened two crossings into Gaza. 145 food trucks entered Gaza through the Karni crossing, and 500,000 litres of diesel fuel, 90,000 litres of gasoline and 175 tons of cooking gas were allowed through the Nahal Oz crossing. In addition to this, the Rafah Crossing was opened on 18 July to allow 5,000 Palestinians to cross from Egypt into Gaza.

We remain fully committed to supporting the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM). The European Community has committed €105 million to the mechanism. The UK intends to contribute up to £12 million. We are aware that several other European countries are considering making contributions. This will enable us to provide support in the health sector, to fund utilities and to give welfare allowances to some of the poorest Palestinians. In line with the commitments made at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg on 16 July and by EU Foreign Ministers on 17 July, we and the European Commission are looking at options to further expand the TIM.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1158-59W, on Israel, whether any information has come to light that (a) military equipment and (b) components supplied by the UK have been deployed by Israel during its operations in (i) Gaza since 27 June 2006 and (ii) in Lebanon since 12 July 2006 in a manner consistent with the consolidated criteria. [87752]

Mr. Hoon: We have no reports of the use of UK supplied equipment. Our embassy in Tel Aviv continues to monitor the situation in the region closely. All applications for export licences are assessed rigorously on a case by case basis against the
25 July 2006 : Column 1258W
Consolidated Criteria taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and other relevant announced government policies.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the level of stability in the Middle East; and if she will make a statement. [87872]

Margaret Beckett: We are gravely concerned by the crisis in Lebanon. Syrian and Iranian support for Hezbollah, and other extremist groups, is encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach. We call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hizbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on steps the Government are taking to try to bring an end to violence in the Middle East. [87898]

Mr. Hoon: Both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have been in regular contact with their Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese counterparts and we are working closely with international partners in the region, and the UN, EU and G8. The framework for resolving these disputes is already established by international consensus. We will remain actively engaged with our international partners to help bring peace to the region.

We fully support the efforts of the UN team led by Vijay Nambiar and of the EU High Representative Javier Solana who are working hard to broker an end to the conflict. We are offering both teams logistical assistance on the ground. The UN Security Council discussed the crisis on 20 July 2006, and there will be further intense discussion in the coming days.

We want an immediate end to the violence and the release of the Israeli soldiers. Our priority must be to create conditions to allow a credible and sustainable cease-fire.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the situation in Gaza. [87899]

Mr. Hoon: There has been intense international activity to try to bring about a cessation of the current crisis in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations. High-level delegations from both the EU and the UN have been to both Israel and Palestine in the past two weeks. The Governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have made strenuous efforts to persuade the militants holding the kidnapped Israeli soldier to release him.

Whilst we need an urgent end to the current crisis, real peace can only come through a lasting settlement. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear, negotiations are manifestly the best way to move the peace process forward. We welcome the commitment given by both Israeli Prime Minister
25 July 2006 : Column 1259W
Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas to negotiations and have urged both sides to resume talks as soon as possible. This will require great effort and courage from both sides.

We are also increasingly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made clear our commitment to continue helping the Palestinian people. With a range of partners, we have worked hard to establish the "Temporary International Mechanism" to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The UK will contribute up to £12 million to the mechanism. The G8 called for an expansion of this mechanism. It also committed to supporting the economic and humanitarian needs of the Lebanese people.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on new mechanisms for funding the Palestinians. [87900]

Mr. Hoon: We remain fully committed to supporting the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM). The European Commission has committed €105 million to the mechanism. In addition, the UK intends to contribute up to £12 million. We are aware that several other European countries are considering making contributions. This will enable us to provide support in the health sector, to fund utilities and to give welfare allowances to some of the poorest Palestinians. In line with the commitments made at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg on 16 July and by EU Foreign Ministers on 17 July, we and the European Commission are looking at options to further expand the TIM.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the level of financial support provided by (a) Iran and (b) Syria to Hezbollah. [88264]

Margaret Beckett: We are very concerned about the role of Syria and Iran in Lebanon. Iran supplies Hizballah with financing and weapons—weapons very similar to those used against British troops in Basra—and has personnel in Lebanon assisting Hizbollah. Syria finances Hizballah and facilitates the transfer of arms from Iran to Hizballah.

Through their support for Hizballah, Iran and Syria are encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach. We have called on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hizballah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian consequences in Gaza of (a) the withholding of the Palestinian tax revenue by Israel and (b) the suspension of international aid. [88389]

Dr. Howells: We continue to have serious concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Electricity and water supplies remain irregular. In a statement on 19 July, the Israel Defence Force said it had opened two
25 July 2006 : Column 1260W
crossings into Gaza. 145 food trucks entered Gaza through the Kami crossing, and 500,000 litres of diesel fuel, 90,000 litres of gasoline and 175 tons of cooking gas were allowed through the Nahal Oz crossing. In addition to this, the Rafah Crossing was opened on 18 July to allow 5,000 Palestinians to cross from Egypt into Gaza.

We, along with our EU partners, continue to call upon Israel to transfer the revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian people. The withholding of this tax revenue, as well as other factors, adversely affects the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Following the Hamas led Palestinian Authority’s (PA) failure to commit to the three Quartet principles, the UK and other key donors, suspended direct budgetary assistance to the PA. We remain committed to supporting the Palestinian people.

Most recently, the UK announced its intention to contribute up to £12 million for the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM). The European Community has committed €105 million to the mechanism. We are aware that several other European countries are considering making contributions. This will enable us to provide support in the health sector, to fund utilities and to give welfare allowances to some of the poorest Palestinians. In line with the commitments made at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg on 16 July and by EU Foreign Ministers on 17 July, we and the European Commission are looking at options to further expand the TIM.

Sudan

18. Mr. Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress towards disarming of the Janjaweed in Darfur. [87886]

Mr. McCartney: On 23 June, the Government of Sudan publicly began disarming the Janjaweed/armed militias. This is only the first step and needs to be followed by further action. We are pushing for the publication by the Government of a structured disarmament plan, which it is required to provide under the Darfur Peace Agreement.

22. Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Darfur. [87890]

Mr. McCartney: The Darfur Peace Agreement remains the only vehicle for a quick return to normality in the region. We call on the non-signatories to support the agreement. We also call on the Government of Sudan and Minni Minawi to find ways of encouraging the non-signatories to come on board, including by implementing the agreement in a way that benefits all the people of Darfur.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress made towards (a) the imposition of a travel ban on and (b) the freezing of assets of those impeding the peace process in Sudan. [79922]


25 July 2006 : Column 1261W

Margaret Beckett: All sides are responsible for crimes in Darfur. The UK has taken a lead in supporting sanctions for Sudan. We co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1591 which allowed the Security Council to impose sanctions on anyone who impedes the peace process in Darfur. We also co-sponsored UNSCR 1672, adopted on 25 April this year, imposing targeted sanctions on four individuals from all sides to the conflict. This sends a clear message that the Security Council will not tolerate violations of human rights or other such actions in Darfur.

Iran

17. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Iran about support for Hezbollah; and if she will make a statement. [87885]

Dr. Howells: On 21 July officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office met the Iranian Ambassador in London. During their discussions they repeated our call for Iran, and Syria, to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not herself discussed this with Iran.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of which countries supply dual-use technology to Iran; and if he will make a statement. [68203]

Margaret Beckett: Many types of equipment and technology can have more than one use. Many countries, including the UK and other EU member states, make provision for licensing the export of dual use goods to Iran where this would not raise significant proliferation or other concerns. We work through the multilateral export control regimes and through bilateral contacts to ensure as many countries as possible apply close scrutiny to all such exports in order to ensure compliance with the obligations undertaken under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

UK exports are subject to the Export Control Act, 2002. Details of all dual-use exports from the UK can be found in the Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls, available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at: www.fco.gov.uk.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her latest assessment is of the threat posed to regional security by Iran's nuclear programme. [80280]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 28 June 2006]: The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East would pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability, as well as to the multilateral non-proliferation regime.

We remain deeply concerned about the intentions of Iran's nuclear programme. Iran is continuing uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, which
25 July 2006 : Column 1262W
will enable it to develop the know-how to produce fissile material that could be used in nuclear weapons. Moreover, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Dr Mohammed El-Baradei, has described in his most recent reports, Iran is not co-operating fully with the IAEA and many important issues concerning its programme remain to be resolved to the IAEA's satisfaction.

We urge Iran to respond positively to the proposals presented by EU high representative, Javier Solana, on 6 June and to take steps necessary to create confidence that the intentions of its nuclear programme are solely peaceful, including suspending fully all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking towards ensuring that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons; and if she will make a statement. [80281]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 28 June 2006]: We remain deeply concerned that Iran is continuing uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, which will enable it to develop the know- how to produce fissile material suitable for use in nuclear weapons, despite the requirement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and the UN Security Council that these activities should be suspended.

On 6 June, Javier Solana, EU High Representative, presented new proposals on behalf of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US. These offer a way forward that would give Iran everything it needs to develop a modern civil nuclear power industry, as well as political and economic benefits, while meeting international concerns. For talks to resume, Iran must reinstate the full suspension deemed essential by the IAEA Board; we would also suspend action in the Security Council.

We are disappointed that Iran has not so far engaged seriously with these proposals, nor reinstated the suspension. We therefore have no choice but to return to the UN Security Council and seek a resolution that will make the suspension mandatory.

Our proposals remain on the table. We continue to urge Iran to take the positive path that is on offer.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on Iran's referral to the Security Council. [87897]

Dr. Howells: On 29 March, the President of the Security Council issued a statement agreed by consensus. This called on Iran to co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and take the steps identified as essential by the IAEA Board of Governors, including reinstating a full suspension of all uranium enrichment related and reprocessing activities.

We are deeply concerned that, nearly four months later, Iran is still not co-operating fully with the IAEA, and has continued and expanded its enrichment
25 July 2006 : Column 1263W
activities. Nor has Iran responded positively to the proposals made by the UK, with China, France, Germany, Russia and the US (the ‘E3+3’) which would enable talks to resume on a long-term solution.

In these circumstances, the E3+3 have decided that there is no choice but to return to the Security Council and seek a Resolution making the suspension mandatory on Iran. Should Iran refuse to comply, we will work for the adoption of measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

We continue to urge Iran to respond positively to the E3+3 proposals. If Iran reinstates a full suspension of enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, as required by the IAEA Board, we are prepared to suspend further action in the Security Council.

Lebanon

19. Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of Lebanon about the current Israeli attacks and incursions into Lebanon. [87887]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been in contact with his Lebanese counterpart to offer support. As he told the House on 18 July

    “I have spoken to the Prime Minister of Lebanon. I think Lebanon is looking for international help. I believe the Prime Minister of Lebanon wants to do the right thing. The people around him are desperate for some stability in their country and they feel very angry that they are caught in the present situation”.

I also held discussions with Prime Minister Siniora during my recent visit to the region. Our ambassador in Beirut remains in regular contact with the Lebanese Government.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her latest assessment is of the situation in Israel and Lebanon. [87896]

Mr. Hoon: We are gravely concerned by the crisis in Lebanon. It is causing great harm to the civilian populations on both sides and threatens the wider security of the region. We are seriously concerned by the numbers of deaths, casualties and displaced persons that have been caused as a result of this conflict. We continue to appeal to both sides to act with utmost restraint.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, this conflict is most easily ended by the undoing of what started it: Hizbollah should hand back the kidnapped Israeli soldiers immediately and stop targeting Israeli towns and cities.

Syrian and Iranian support for Hizbollah and other extremist groups is encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach. We call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hizbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.


25 July 2006 : Column 1264W

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between her Department and the Israeli authorities since the invasion of Lebanon. [88387]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister Olmert on 18 July. On 25 June, 6, 13 and 18 July my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. On 18 July she also spoke to the Israeli ambassador, Zvi Heifetz. During my visit to the region on 22-24 July, I spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Livni.

Our embassy in Tel Aviv have been in regular contact with the Israeli authorities since 12 July. On 12 July we lobbied the Israeli Government to open Kerem Shalom for humanitarian assistance and people to re-enter Gaza.

Our British ambassador in Tel Aviv has been in constant contact with the Israeli authorities since 12 July, speaking to, among others, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser, the Israeli Foreign Minister, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, and the Israeli Tourism Minister—who is a member of the Israeli security cabinet. He raised our concerns about civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon and called for proportionality and restraint.

The Defence Section at our British embassy in Tel Aviv has been in contact throughout the last two weeks with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in order to facilitate the evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon. The Defence Section have also received briefings from the IDF and raised on a number of occasions our concerns regarding proportionality and civilian casualties.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions her Department has taken to seek an end to Israeli military action in (a) Gaza and (b) Lebanon. [88388]

Dr. Howells: We are working closely with international partners in the region, the UN, EU and G8, towards a ceasefire. Both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary have been in regular contact with their counterparts in the region. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to the Lebanese Prime Minister on 13 July and to Israeli Prime Minister Olmert on 18 July. On 25 June, and on 6, 13 and 18 July my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also spoke to Palestinian President Abbas on 25 June and 6 July. During my visit to the region on 22 July, I met with Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora, Foreign Minister Salloukh and others. On 22 July I met Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to raise our concerns.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) (UIN 89157).


25 July 2006 : Column 1265W

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will call for an immediate ceasefire of Israeli attacks on Lebanon. [88547]

Dr. Howells: We are working urgently with international partners towards a ceasefire. But it is crucial that any ceasefire is durable.

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said,

    “this conflict is most easily ended by the undoing of what started it: Hezbollah should hand back the kidnapped Israeli soldiers immediately.”

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what date the Foreign Office expects to evacuate all British citizens from Lebanon who wish to leave the country. [88827]

Dr. Howells: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff coordinated with the Ministry of Defence the evacuation of some 4,600 people from Lebanon. Around half of these were flown on to the UK at their request; others have gone on to other destinations. This evacuation was widely publicised in Lebanon at the time; the last scheduled UK departure was 22 July, because the British embassy in Beirut and all of those involved in evacuating British nationals judged that the numbers wishing to leave had shrunk almost to nothing.

Those British passport holders in Lebanon who did not leave during the evacuation, but who now wish to do so, should contact the embassy in Beirut, or the FCO, for up-to-the-minute information. Full details are set out in the FCO Travel Advice for Lebanon, on the FCO website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c==Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386118.

Gaza

21. Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions the Quartet group has had on Israel’s military incursions in Gaza. [87889]

Dr. Howells: Although the Quartet has not met formally to discuss the current situation in the Middle East, members have remained in regular contact. Most recently, Quartet members attended the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg on 16 July arid EU Foreign Ministers met in Brussels on 17 July. All Quartet members remain actively engaged to resolve the situation.

Iraq

23. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Iraq. [87891]

Dr. Howells: The recent increase in violence in Iraq is of great concern. We need to see a halt to the round of revenge killings. Successfully tackling the issues driving the violence requires sustained commitment and strong leadership from the Iraqi Government and key political
25 July 2006 : Column 1266W
and community leaders. The Prime Minister discussed this with Iraqi Prime Minister during his visit here on 24 July. We are giving his Government our full support.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 13 July 2005, Official Report, column 1122W, on Iraq, if he will place the written material prepared by oil advisers seconded by the Government to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in the Library. [66779]

Mr. Hoon: These documents have been placed in the Library of the House and I will arrange for copies to be sent to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, columns 327-8W, on Iraq, what form local government takes in each governorate; what powers it has; what responsibility it takes for local reconstruction; what role it has in the delivery of security; and what assessment the Government have made of its democratic accountability. [85599]

Margaret Beckett: Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Order 71 sets out the composition and powers delegated to local government. Copies of this are available at the following website at:

    http://cpa-iraq.org/regulations/20040406_CPAORD_71_Local_Governmental_Powers_.pdf.

I will also arrange for a copy of CPA Order 71 to be placed in the Library of the House and for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member.

This order was designed to improve delivery of public services by appropriately empowering government bodies at governorate, municipal and local levels. Each governorate may:

    raise revenue from taxes;

    plan/implement investment projects approved by the Provincial Reconstruction and Development Committee (including in partnership with international or non- governmental organisations); and

    carry out other activities that are not exclusively reserved for central government (i.e. foreign policy, national security policy and fiscal and monetary policies).

Governorates are also responsible for overseeing the quality and timeliness of projects carried out by the Technical Directorates or relevant Ministries.

National Security is a central government responsibility. At the provincial level the Iraqi police force, headed by a Chief of police, is responsible for maintaining law and order. Given the current security situation, the Iraqi army supported by multi- national forces also retains responsibility for security. Ultimately this will be handed over to the Iraqi authorities. The Iraqi police force reports to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. The Iraqi army reports to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence.

Local government currently consists of 18 Governorate Councils (GC), each with 41 members, and a Baghdad GC, with 51 members. These were elected in the January 2005 national elections.


25 July 2006 : Column 1267W

Each GC is headed by a Chairman and is responsible for electing the Governor. Beneath the GCs are municipal councils (i.e. there are 15 in Baghdad governorate) and local councils (over 700 nationally).

Our missions in Kirkuk, Basra and Baghdad constantly monitor and report on the political progress in Iraq, including the democratic process. That process is not yet complete; the next step in the democratic calendar is for Iraq to hold provincial elections. Through elections of provincial, municipal and local councils and direct democratic accountability for Governors and Chiefs of police, the system should provide a higher degree of (indirect) democratic accountability.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, columns 328-30W, on Iraq, what further progress has been made on achieving the milestones for police reform in the Iraqi provinces of (a) Al Basrah, (b) Al Muthanna, (c) Dhi Qar and (d) Maysan. [85600]

Margaret Beckett: Since my reply to the hon. Member ( Official Report, columns 328-30W), we have trained an additional 1,300 police officers in Basra, 154 in Muthanna and 607 in Maysan. Responsibility for policing in Dhi Qar continues to lie with the Italian contingent.

On 12 July 2006, responsibility for security in Muthana was transferred from the multi-national forces in Iraq (MNF-I) to local authorities.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 328W, on Iraq, what progress has been made by the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility in Iraq; and what recommendations it has made on the provinces and provincial capitals ready for the transfer of security responsibilities. [85601]

Margaret Beckett: The Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility recommended to the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Al-Maliki, and the Iraqi Ministerial Committee on National Security, that the Province of Al-Muthanna and the Provincial Capital of Samawah were ready to transfer to Iraqi security responsibility. The Government of Iraq announced that it agreed with this assessment on 19 June 2006. The security handover in Al-Muthanna took place on 13 July. The committee is now considering recommendations in respect of the handover of further areas to Iraqi provincial control.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, columns 326-7W, on Iraq, what progress has been made on the UK Government’s discussions with the Iraqi Government on the release of accurate and up-to-date figures on civilian deaths in Iraq. [85602]

Margaret Beckett: Maintaining records of civilian deaths in Iraq is a matter for the Government of Iraq. We continue to assess that there are no entirely
25 July 2006 : Column 1268W
accurate figures for civilian deaths in Iraq. Estimates vary according to the method of collection.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health has released further figures of casualties to the UK. The Ministry of Health statistics for the dead and injured include those judged by the first public responder, normally the police, Army or coalition forces, to have been victims of ‘terrorism’, or those harmed as a result of (Iraqi or coalition) ‘military’ action. It is unclear if these figures include victims of crime. The figures show 21,091 injured and 7,254 killed as a result of terrorism between January 2005 and January 2006. They show 1,933 injured and 839 killed as a result of ‘military’ action in the same period. The figures are collected from hospitals across Iraq, but do not include the three Kurdish provinces. The figures do not distinguish between insurgents, civilians or Iraqi security forces killed.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 327W, on Iraq, what the priorities and aims are of rule of law development in the Iraqi provinces of (a) Al Basrah, (b) Al Muthanna, (c) Dhi Qar and (d) Maysan; and what (i) human and (ii) financial resources the UK Government has committed to this development. [85603]

Margaret Beckett: The aim of the Government’s rule of law programmes in Muthanna, Maysan and Basra provinces in Southern Iraq is to assist in the development of efficient, effective, credible and community supported security forces and criminal justice institutions.

The priorities of our programmes are:

    to develop the capacity of, and links between the different elements of the criminal justice system (police, prisons and judiciary);

    to develop the ability of the Iraqi security forces to investigate and remove corrupt officers, investigate major crime and to use criminal intelligence;

    to develop a model for these institutions which will allow an effective hand over responsibility for security to the Iraqis authorities.

There are 170 UK police, prisons officers and lawyers providing training, mentoring and advice to the Iraqis. Since 2004, the Government have committed £22 million to rule of law development programmes in Iraq.

Responsibility for policing in Dhi Qar lies with the Italian forces.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK private security companies are operating in Iraq. [87937]

Dr. Howells: There is no requirement for Private Military/Security Companies (PMSCs) to register with our Embassy in Baghdad and therefore the Government does not maintain precise figures of the UK companies operating in Iraq. The non-governmental Private Security Companies Association of Iraq (PSCAI) are aware of 141 companies that describe themselves as PMSC's operating in Iraq. Of
25 July 2006 : Column 1269W
these at least 14 are UK companies, in that they are registered under Companies House as currently operating in the UK or the Crown Dependencies.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many licences have been issued by the Ministry of Interior in Iraq to UK private security firms in each of the last 12 months. [87938]

Dr. Howells: By the end of 2005, 37 private military/security companies (PMSC'S) of all nationalities were registered with the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. However, owing to changes in regulatory requirements from the Ministry of Interior all licences expired this year and were not renewed. The Ministry of Interior has issued new criteria and under these only three companies have been registered, all of which are Iraqi. Some UK PMSC's have applied under the new criteria and their licences are currently being processed.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) foreign and (b) domestic journalists have been killed in Iraq in each month since March 2003, broken down by nationality. [88631]

Dr. Howells: We deplore the continuing violence in Iraq that is claiming the lives of many innocent people, including journalists who have been killed while carrying out their important work. The Government do not, however, collect statistics on civilian deaths in Iraq and we believe that there are no entirely accurate statistics on civilian casualties in Iraq over the past three years. We understand that the International Federation of Journalists produced a report detailing the journalists killed in Iraq for at least some of the period covered in question. This information can be found at www.ifj.org.

Afghanistan

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who sits on the Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Team Executive Steering Council; what its objectives are; and how often it meets. [86534]

Margaret Beckett: The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Executive Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Minister of the Interior of the Afghan government, on behalf of the President, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander Coalition Forces Command—Afghanistan. The Committee's membership is completed by the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Reconstruction and Rural Development, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Senior Civilian Representative of the NATO Secretary General, the EU Special Representative, and Ambassadors of nations contributing or potentially contributing military or other resources to PRTs. Other Ministers of the Afghan government are invited by the chairs or attend as directed by the President.


25 July 2006 : Column 1270W

The Committee's objectives are to develop and implement policies governing operations of the PRTs, to strengthen and extend the authority of the central government throughout the country, assist in establishing stability and security, and enable reconstruction including through delivering projects and expertise. The Committee has sought to co-ordinate PRT policies and practices, provide oversight for the development of new PRTs, determine verifiable measures of effectiveness for PRTs, and establish conditions for the transition from PRTs to full Afghan Government authority.

The Committee meets every two months.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements exist for the co-ordination of activities between provincial reconstruction teams, international organisations and non-governmental organisations in Afghanistan. [86538]

Margaret Beckett: There are many fora in Kabul that help to co-ordinate activity. The primary vehicle for co-ordination of international effort in Afghanistan is the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board, which seeks to ensure implementation of the Afghanistan Compact. This body brings together all donors and international organisations active in helping to rebuild the country and extend the authority of the central government beyond Kabul. In addition, co-ordination between Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and others engaged in the regions outside Kabul is managed by the PRT Executive Steering Committee.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has received from the government of Afghanistan regarding (a) the level of police officers agreed in the Afghanistan Compact and (b) requests to increase the number of police officers beyond the target envisaged; and what the UK Government’s position is. [86540]

Margaret Beckett: To date, I have not received any representations from the Afghan government regarding the level of police officers set out in the Afghanistan Compact and the issue of increasing the target has not arisen.

The UK supports the Afghanistan Compact and the goals it contains and remains in close touch with the German police project and the US police reform programmes. The UK has recently appointed a Senior Police Adviser to the UK led Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Lashkar Gah to help extend national police reform programmes to the South. The UK also plans to appoint a Senior Police Adviser to work within the US-led Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in Kabul.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the level of support given to the insurgency in Afghanistan from external sources and (b) who these sources are; and what the Government’s policy is on the most effective approach to combat them. [86541]


25 July 2006 : Column 1271W

Margaret Beckett: There is some indication that armed groups in Afghanistan receive financial and other support from a variety of sympathisers and associates. The Government seek to combat this in a number of ways. These include political dialogue with the relevant governments in an attempt to deny the supporters freedom of action, and support for those governments to develop the capacity of their law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government were represented at the Second Tokyo Conference on the Consolidation of Peace in Afghanistan; what the UK goals for the conference were; and what assessment she has made of the outcome. [86554]

Margaret Beckett: Our Ambassador in Kabul led the UK delegation at the Second Conference on the Consolidation of Peace in Afghanistan, held in Tokyo on 5 July. Our goals for the conference were to reiterate the UK's support for security sector reform, to affirm support for the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) and to set out the UK's activity and achievements on counter-narcotics.

While there has been good progress made on the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process, there are significant challenges ahead to keep the DIAG process on track. President Karzai made a strong statement of commitment to overcoming the difficulties, but continued support from the international community will be needed.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to President Karzai concerning the re-introduction of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. [88810]

Dr. Howells: The Afghan Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs’ proposal for establishing a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice was considered at Cabinet on 16 July 2006. This has now been referred to Parliament.

We, and our international partners, continue to encourage the Afghan Government to observe its international human rights obligations.

Albania

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the conclusions of the 20 June meeting of the Consultative Task Force between the EU and Albania. [84214]

Margaret Beckett: The Consultative Task Force discussed freedom of expression, property restitution, electoral reform, human rights and minority rights. This is a Commission led meeting, with member states invited as observers.

Following the meeting the Commission released a press statement that can be found on the Commission Delegation’s website: http://www.delalb.cec.eu.int/en/news/CTF14-date-20-June-2006-Press-Release.doc.


25 July 2006 : Column 1272W

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what (a) financial and (b) technical help is being given to Albania by (i) the EU and (ii) her Department for the purpose of tackling human trafficking in the country; and if she will make a statement; [84215]

(2) what recent representations she has made to her Albanian counterpart regarding human trafficking in Albania; [84216]

(3) what assessment she has made of progress made in tackling human trafficking in Albania; and if she will make a statement. [84217]

Margaret Beckett: I take the trafficking of human beings and the wider issue of organised crime in Albania seriously. Working to reduce these activities is a priority.

Most recently, in March this year my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Dr. Howells, visited Tirana and as part of his discussions with senior Ministers in the Albanian Government, including the Prime Minister, raised the issue of human trafficking. Our Ambassador in Tirana regularly raises the subject with Ministers.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing £238,000 to the International Organisation for Migration to implement an information campaign, including training media professionals in responsible reporting of trafficking issues, establish a national telephone hotline to provide information on safe migration, and for the public to report instances of human trafficking. We have also provided over £250,000 to a establish a forensic laboratory which contributes to the identification of forged documents.

Since 2001, through the Community Assistance for Reconstruction and Development Programme the EU have provided over €19.5 million on projects to improve border policing and the establishment and implementation of migration strategies. The end goal is for Albania to have the capacity and techniques to prevent trafficking for itself.

We welcome the increased international presence in this area and the commitment of the Albanian Government to tackle it.

Ambassadors (Education)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of ambassadors were educated in (a) the state sector, (b) the private sector, (c) Oxford or Cambridge University and (d) other universities in each of the last 30 years. [80052]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) current management information system does not hold education details on all our staff and it would take a disproportionate amount of time to collect the data requested.

However, the FCO is committed to recruiting a talented and diverse workforce which reflects the society it serves. In this context, the FCO is active in outreach activities, such as careers fairs and community business events. The FCO has run competence-based assessment and development centres
25 July 2006 : Column 1273W
(ADCs) to determine which members of its staff have the necessary skills required to work within its senior management structure (SMS).

Candidates attending these ADCs have their performance assessed by a mix of internal trained assessors and external professionals. All promotion recommendations made at the ADCs are performance-based and are made irrespective of an individual’s educational background. At the same time the FCO has run 16 recruitment campaigns, via external recruitment agencies, for SMS positions. The recruitment process is run on the principle of fair and open competition, as laid down in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Code (www.civilservicecommissioners.gov.uk). Once again, progress is merit-based, and is made irrespective of an individual’s educational background.

British and European Financial Transactions

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her (a) EU and (b) US counterparts on reports of the disclosure of British and European financial transactions to the US intelligence services; and if she will make a statement. [86701]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 20 July 2006]: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on intelligence sources and methods. However, the Government support US efforts to target, disrupt and cut off sources of funding for terrorism.

British Council

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received on the next financial grant to the British Council; and if she will make a statement. [88061]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not received any representations about the next financial grant to the British Council. The future funding for the British Council will be taken forward within the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of (a) commissioning and (b) implementing the new British Council logo. [88063]

Mr. Hoon: The redesign of the British Council logo was part of a wider programme of rebranding the British Council. This included redesign of the British Council manual and guidelines, the imagebank, the intranet and extranet sites and the development of a bespoke font, unique to the British Council, which could be used in the UK and by offices overseas. The overall rebranding cost £120,000. Implementation costs were minimal as it took place in a phased manner as part of the standard programme of replacement of material and equipment and refurbishment of Council premises.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what employment policy is operated by the British Council. [88064]


25 July 2006 : Column 1274W

Mr. Hoon: The British Council's employment policies comply with all relevant legislation in the UK, or local legislation as applicable for staff employed outside the UK.

Burma

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2005, Official Report, column 1369W, on Burma; if she will confirm that processing of Burmese (i) uranium and (ii) antimony takes place in (A) China, (B) North Korea, (C) Russia and (D) elsewhere. [88132]

Dr. Howells: While we are aware that processing of uranium and antimony takes place in China, North Korea and Russia as well as a number of other countries, we have no information regarding the export to or subsequent processing in any country of uranium or antimony from Burma.

Chernobyl

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the total cost of the clean up to date at Chernobyl; and what the UK contribution has been to this work. [87725]

Mr. Hoon: The Government have no estimate of the total amount spent on the clean up following the Chernobyl accident.

The UK has played an important role supporting safety, health, decommissioning and development work that has taken place as a result of the Chernobyl accident. The UK’s contribution to national and international programmes arising from the accident has been in excess of £100 million.

Correspondence

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will respond to the letter dated 10 May sent to her by the hon. Member for Thurrock in relation to compensation. [75959]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 8 June 2006]: I apologise for the delay in replying to my hon. Friend’s parliamentary questions and my hon. Friend’s letter of 10 May. I took additional advice on this matter and a reply has now been sent to my hon. Friend.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when her Department will reply to the letter of 17 May from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on behalf of Mr P-K.E.E. of Aylesbury (reference 30131) which her ministerial correspondence unit sent to UK Visas on 28 June. [86004]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 17 July 2006]: UKvisas replied to the hon. Member on 25 May. A copy of this reply was faxed to the hon. Member’s office on 13 July.


25 July 2006 : Column 1275W

Council of Europe

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK’s contribution is to the funding of the Council of Europe; what percentage of the whole this figure represents; and what percentage is contributed by (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy, (d) Spain and (e) Russia. [86720]

Mr. Hoon: The UK’s 2006 total contribution to the Council of Europe is €30,069,636.23. This is made up of €27,947,261.58 in assessed contributions and additional contributions to partial agreements totalling €2,122,374.95. The breakdown of the UK’s total contribution and the percentage of the whole are shown in the following table:


25 July 2006 : Column 1276W
UK Euro contribution Percentage of whole

Assessed contributions

Ordinary Budget

23,257,480.03

12.23

Pensions Reserve Fund

3,723,894.18

13.83

Pensions Fiscal Adjustment

78,920.94

13.83

Extraordinary Budget (Buildings etc.)

540,223.84

10.59

Youth Foundation

346,742.29

12.23

Total

27,947,261.28

Partial agreements

Social and Public Health

248,887.28

17.29

European Pharmacopoeia

696,386.12

15.2

Pompidou (combats drugs and illicit trafficking)

236,348.45

14.03

Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)

422,208.14

13.76

GRAZ Centre (Centre for Modern Languages)

235,512.60

14.6

GRECO (Anti Corruption)

283,032.36

17.8

Total

2,122,374.95

—-

Grand total

30,069,636.23


The percentage contributed by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain in 2006 are shown in the following table:

Percentage of contributions
UK France Germany Italy Russia Spain

Assessed contributions

Ordinary Budget

12.23

12.23

12.23

12.23

12.23

6.23

Pensions Reserve Fund

13.83

13.83

13.83

13.83

5.8

6,23

Pensions Fiscal Adjustment

13.83

13.83

13.83

13.83

5.8

6.23

Extraordinary Budget (Buildings etc)

10.59

24

10.59

10.59

10.59

5.39

European Youth Foundation

12.23

12.23

12.23

12.23

12.23

6.23

Partial agreements

Social and Public Health Field

17.29

17.29

17.29

17.29

n/a

8.02

European Pharmacopoeia

15.2

15.2

15.2

15.2

n/a

6.94

Co-operation group to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking (Pompidou)

14.03

14.03

14.03

14.03

6.14

6.35

European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)

13.76

13.76

13.76

13.76

5.73

6.19

European Centre for Modern Languages (GRAZ)

14.6

14.6

14.6

n/a

n/a

10.4

Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)

17.8

17.8

17.8

n/a

n/a

3.99


Delwar Hossain Sayeedi

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors were taken into account when granting Delwar Hossain Sayeedi permission to come to the United Kingdom. [86877]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 20 July 2006]: I cannot comment on individual cases. However, all applicants must meet the entry clearance criteria/ immigration controls, as set out on the UKvisas website at www.ukvisas.gov.uk.

Departmental Staff (Education)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the recruits to her Department were educated in (a) state schools, (b) private schools, (c) Oxford or Cambridge University and (d) other universities in each of the last 30 years. [80045]

Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s current management information system does not hold educational details on all our staff and it would incur a disproportionate cost to collect the data requested.

FCO recruitment processes are run on the principle of fair and open competition, as laid down in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Code, available at: www.civilservicecommissioners.gov.uk. They are based solely on merit and decisions are made irrespective of educational background.


25 July 2006 : Column 1277W

The FCO is committed to recruiting from as wide a spectrum of the population as possible, and has for many years had an active educational diversity and outreach policy, including currently:

    careers fairs, such as the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition which was held in Birmingham in June;

    career Open Days, of which the next takes place on the 25 July;

    work experience scheme;

    in 2006 we have offered placements to approximately 45 persons from a range of backgrounds, including GCSE students, A-level students, undergraduate students and those in full-time employment.

Diplomatic Posts (Expense Allowances)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the levels of expense allowances which are permitted at each of the diplomatic posts within the NATO Alliance and the European Union are; and what they were in May 1997. [87104]

Mr. Hoon: The following figures reflect entertainment expenditure for Heads of Mission in NATO and European Union capitals for the 1996-97 and 2005-06 financial years. Entertainment expense allowances (Frais) paid to Heads of Mission cover the cost of official entertainment and other representational expenditure (principally the running of the Head of Mission residence).

Frais allocations are based on the anticipated entertainment obligations of each Head of Mission job in the year ahead and evidence of expenditure in previous years.

NATO only 1996-97 total 2005-06 total

Ankara

25,135

31,738

Bucharest

17653

13,290

Oslo

44,178

39,350

Ottawa

39,673

44,944

Reykjavik

20,918

18,514

Sofia

25,147

21,101

Washington

141,806

121,729


EU only 1996-97 total 2005-06 total

Dublin

36,505

39,100

Helsinki

49,038

37,211

Nicosia

43,402

33,726

Stockholm

62,013

46,233

Valletta

19,553

21,945

Vienna

45,567

32,470



25 July 2006 : Column 1278W
EU and NATO posts 1996-97 total 2005-06 total

Athens

45,533

39,879

Bonn/Berlin

71,001

55,567

Bratislava

11,797

8,878

Brussels

51,165

40,526

Budapest

26,815

34,648

Copenhagen

33,100

28,093

Hague, The

48,494

39,668

Lisbon

21,106

23,481

Ljubljana

11,503

19,100

Luxembourg

27,909

20,326

Madrid

40,339

50,649

Paris

203,530

167,591

Prague

42,774

35,791

Riga

21,801

15,933

Rome

51,349

41,673

Tallin

15,076

9,207

Vilnius

15,373

15,035

Warsaw

21,173

47,881


Doha Round

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action she is taking to encourage the revival of the Doha round of trade talks. [86769]

Mr. Hoon: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations remain high on the agenda for the Government and are discussed regularly in contacts with EU partners, the European Commission and other WTO Members. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister attended the G8 summit in St. Petersburg from 15-17 July and raised this issue with leaders from G8 and "+5" countries (Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Mexico). We welcome Pascal Lamy's attendance at the G8 summit and the statement by G8 leaders on the WTO negotiations and the process that has been agreed to take negotiations forward over the next month. The G8 Statement on Trade is available on the internet at the following address: http://en.g8russia.ru/docs/16.html.

The WTO Round was also discussed at the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 July and in the Agriculture Council on 18 July, where my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spoke in favour of an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Round. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised the issue during her recent visits to the United States and Brazil.

We will continue to work with our EU partners, the Commission and other WTO members to ensure a successful outcome to the Round.

Falkland Islands (Sovereignty)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Argentine Government on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. [87880]

Mr. Hoon: The UK has had no discussions with Argentina on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. We will not discuss the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands with Argentina unless and until such time as the Falkland Islanders so wish.


25 July 2006 : Column 1279W

FIFA World Cup

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which matches (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contributions from third party organisations. [83619]

Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today (UIN 73630).

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have to attend matches at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. [73630]

Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not attend any games at the FIFA World Cup 2006.

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, attended one game each during the World Cup in Germany.

My noble Friend Lord Triesman attended England v. Sweden Group B match on 20 June 2006 in Cologne. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe attended the England v. Ecuador second round match on 25 June 2006 in Stuttgart. Tickets for both matches were provided by the local state authorities. During their visits to Germany they also met with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials providing services for British nationals travelling to the World Cup.

All travel and accommodation was arranged in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. The total cost of the visits to Germany including officials was £2,940.60.

Immigration

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Libya, (b) Tunisia and (c) Algeria on their plans to tackle illegal immigration from North Africa to Europe. [80333]

Dr. Howells: [pursuant to the reply, 12 July 2006, Official Report, c.1912W]: I regret that an inaccurate answer was given to part of the hon. Member’s question. The answer given states that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, visited Algeria and Libya on 7-8 June and 25-27 respectively. In fact, I visited both countries on the specified dates.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Department will reach a decision of the immigration application of Shaid Ian, ref: 3107 2668. [88323]


25 July 2006 : Column 1280W

Dr. Howells: UKvisas does not have a record of any entry clearance application lodged by Shaid Ian, but would be pleased to follow this up with the hon. Member’s office if he is able to provide further information.

Israel

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what defence equipment has been provided to Israel from the (a) UK and (b) EU in the last five years. [87144]

Mr. Hoon: The UK publishes details of all export licences issued in its Annual (and now Quarterly) Reports on Strategic Export Controls. This includes a summary of goods by destination. All reports from 1997 can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Pagc&cid=1007029395474. The Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls for 2005 will be published later this month.

The EU also publishes an annual report on arms exports from EU member states.

This information is available on the EU’s website at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showpage.asp?id=408&lang=en&mode=g .

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make it her policy to impose an embargo on arms exports to Israel. [88749]

Dr. Howells: With regard to Israel, as to all others countries, we will continue to assess rigorously all relevant export licence applications on a case by case basis against our EU and national arms export licensing criteria taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and other announced Government policies. A licence will not be issued where to do so would be inconsistent with the criteria. The Government are proud of the UK's robust and transparent export licensing regime, which is among the best in the world.

Kosovo

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what plans have been made to establish an EU mission in Kosovo; and what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on such a mission; [87907]

(2) what plans have been made for the phasing out of the UN mission in Kosovo. [87908]

Mr. Hoon: The international presence in Kosovo after a status settlement will partly depend on the settlement itself. However, there is a broad consensus that when the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) closes, the EU will take on a more substantive role. As a result, an EU Planning Team was established in April composed of experts in the fields of justice, police, civilian administration and general administrative issues. They will continue to prepare for a possible European Security and Defence Policy Mission in Kosovo and continue to report to the Council on a monthly basis.


25 July 2006 : Column 1281W

The General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 July, at which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was present, reviewed progress on this work.

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations have been made to allow for contractual relations between Kosovo and the EU. [87911]

Mr. Hoon: A UN-led process is currently under way aimed at achieving a final status settlement for Kosovo. However, the Contact Group Guiding Principles for a settlement on Kosovo's status envisage a settlement that contributes towards realising the European Perspective of Kosovo, in particular Kosovo's progress in the Stabilisation and Association Process, as part of the integration of the entire region in Euro-Atlantic institutions.

I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 87912).

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to establish a European Commission office in Pristina; and if she will make a statement. [87912]

Mr. Hoon: The European Commission has plans to establish an office in Pristina that will absorb the functions of the European Commission Liaison Office and the European Agency for Reconstruction already established there. The office will work closely with the local authorities and civil society to assist them with the European integration and reform agenda. It will also need to work closely with whatever international civilian presence is established following a status settlement.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87650]

Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary’s office has not been redecorated in the last five years.

Ministerial Travel

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much it cost (a) him and (b) officials from his Department to fly to and from Russia for his recent visit. [28243]

Margaret Beckett: [pursuant to the reply, 16 November 2005, Official Report, c.1268W].

I regret that an inaccurate answer was given to the hon. Member's question. The answer referred the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1268W. The answer given stated that the total cost of a visit to Moscow, Iraq and Bahrain, on 8-12 November 2005, undertaken by my right. hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Jack Straw) was £98,400. In fact, the cost of the visit was
25 July 2006 : Column 1282W
£96,400. The original figure was based on an estimate provided by our charter broker and has subsequently been revised. The cost of diverting through the UK is included in the revised figure and still stands at £30,200.

Muslim Organisations

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department's policy is on providing funding for members of the (a) Muslim Brotherhood and (b) Muslim Association of Britain. [86287]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 18 July 2006]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not provide funding for either organisation, although there may be occasions when those who are affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Muslim Association of Britain take part in FCO initiatives or events that involve a broad range of participants.

Muslims of Europe Conference

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi produced a report for the Foreign Office following his attendance at the Muslims of Europe Conference in Istanbul. [86286]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 18 July 2006]: Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi has not produced any kind of report for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was one participant at a conference organised and led by a steering group of European Muslim scholars and civil society representatives. The output of the conference included a declaration and recommendations agreed by all its participants, including a strong renunciation of violence and terrorism. The full text is available at: www.muslimsofeurope.com/topkapi.php.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) financial and (b) other support was given to Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi and his family to attend the Muslims of Europe conference in Istanbul; and who authorised such support. [86288]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 18 July 2006]: Ministers approved Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funding for the Muslims of Europe Conference, which was organised by a steering group of European Muslims. The steering group invited a wide variety of Muslim scholars and civil society representatives, including Sheikh Al-Qaradawi. FCO support for the Conference included flight, food and accommodation costs for all participants, including Sheikh Al-Qaradawi and his wife who was acting as his assistant.

Non-proliferation Action Plan

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the next steps towards the fulfilment of
25 July 2006 : Column 1283W
the commitment in the G8 2004 Non-proliferation Action Plan towards a mechanism for the reliable access of all countries to nuclear energy. [87551]

Margaret Beckett: The UK is actively working with others to formulate appropriate incentives for countries to forego fuel-cycle facilities. The UK co-sponsored a concept paper presented at the last International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors’ meeting, 12-15 June 2006, that outlined a mechanism to provide reliable access to nuclear fuel. This paper will be the subject of further discussion during a special event to be held in the margins of the IAEA General Conference in September. We are also working with G8 partners towards more technically advanced solutions. These are outlined in the 2006 G8 Statement on Non-proliferation, which can be found at the following website: http://en.g8russia.ru/docs/20.html.

North Korea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government’s policy is on potential sanctions against North Korea. [88804]

Dr. Howells: On 15 July the Security Council adopted resolution 1695 (2006) which, inter alia, imposes sanctions in relation to North Korea. The UK fully supported adoption of the resolution, which the UK cosponsored.

The sanctions imposed by the resolution include a requirement on all states to prevent missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology being transferred to North Korea’s missile or weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes. They also include a requirement on all states to prevent the procurement of missiles or missile related-items, materials, goods and technology from North Korea and the transfer of any financial resources in relation to it’s missile or WMD programmes.

The UK is committed to implementing the requirements set out in the resolution and urges all other states also to implement the measures.

Discussion of any further UN sanctions at this stage would be premature. However, the UK would not rule out any further action by the Security Council, including the use of sanctions, if North Korean behaviour makes that necessary.

Palestinians (Funding)

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has received representations from the office of the EU Commissioner for External Affairs indicating that a request has been made to the Budgetary Authority to transfer funds from the Emergency Reserve to the Temporary Mechanism to fund the Palestinian people; and if she will make a statement. [86545]

Margaret Beckett: We have received no representations from the EU Commissioner for External Affairs about this.

We are concerned about the welfare of many Palestinians, particularly those affected by the current
25 July 2006 : Column 1284W
situation in Gaza. We have pushed strongly for the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) to help meet the basic needs of Palestinians. So far, the European Community has committed €105 million to the mechanism. The UK intends to contribute up to £12 million. We are aware that several other European countries are considering making contributions. This will enable us to provide support in the health sector, to fund utilities and to give welfare allowances to some of the poorest Palestinians. In line with the commitments made at the G8 on 16 July 2006 and by the European Council on 17 July 2006, we and the EC are looking at options to further expand the TIM.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to (a) Question 75959, on compensation, tabled by the hon. Member for Thurrock on 5 June and (b) the letter of 10 May to which the Question refers; and what the reason has been for the delay in responding in each case. [86521]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 8 June 2006]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave today (UIN 75959).

Private Security Companies

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she plans to publish a White Paper on the regulation of UK private security companies operating abroad. [87939]

Dr. Howells: In late 2004, my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) requested a review by officials of the options for the regulation of the overseas operations of private military and security companies (PMSCs) registered in or operating from the United Kingdom. The aim was to follow up on the Green Paper of 2002, Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation, and to respond to the increase in the activities of PMSCs in areas of conflict overseas. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is currently discussing the review recommendations with Ministerial colleagues: the review highlighted complex issues that need full consideration before a decision is taken on the way forward.

The Government will keep Parliament fully informed of its proposals in this area. Should we consider a regulatory regime appropriate then we would publish the proposals in the form of a white paper or consultation document to allow for comments from all interested parties.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she plans to introduce a register of private military companies operating out of the UK. [87940]

Dr. Howells: The introduction of a register of private military and security companies (PMSCs) operating out of the UK was considered in the review of the options for the regulation of PMSCs referred to in my
25 July 2006 : Column 1285W
reply today to the hon. Member’s question (UIN 87939). As mentioned in that reply, the Government will keep Parliament fully informed of its proposals in this area.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2005, Official Report, column 1387W, on private security companies, what legislation governs the conduct of the Armor Group and Control Risks Group operating on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas. [87941]

Dr. Howells: There is currently no UK legislation directly governing the conduct of private military and security companies (PMSCs) operating on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) overseas. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 87939) on the current position regarding regulation of this sector.

PMSCs operating on behalf of the FCO are generally subject to provisions of the legal system in the country in which they are operating as well as any applicable provisions of International Humanitarian Law, where appropriate. In certain circumstances their conduct is covered by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Somaliland

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will establish an entry clearance post in Somaliland. [87239]

Dr. Howells: There are currently no plans to open a visa section in Somaliland.

Tanzania

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will ask the Secretary of State for International Development to suspend all preferential debt relief and other aid to Tanzania unless and until Mr. Stewart Middleton is released from prison, all charges against him are dropped, his lands are confirmed in his rightful ownership and Mr. Benjamin Mengi is brought to justice. [88428]

Mr. McCartney: We will not be suspending aid to Tanzania. UK development aid has helped Tanzania to increase its budget spending to reduce poverty and improve governance. We do not believe that an individual case such as this should prevent our efforts to improve the lives of impoverished Tanzanians.

Our High Commission in Dar es Salaam has been in close touch with Mr. Middleton and his wife about the charges brought against him. The High Commission has provided full consular support, including visiting Mr. Middleton while he was detained. He has now been released. The High Commission has also raised the case with the Tanzanian Government at the highest level. It is now a matter for the courts. But we will continue to urge the Tanzanian authorities to ensure that the dispute and all related matters are expeditiously and fairly resolved.


25 July 2006 : Column 1286W

Travel Costs

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the additional cost of (a) his and (b) his officials' early return from Moscow to permit him to vote in the proceedings in the Terrorism Bill. [28110]

Margaret Beckett [pursuant to the reply, 16 November 2005, Official Report, c. 1268W]: I regret that an inaccurate answer was given to part of the hon. Member’s question. The answer given stated that the total cost of a visit to Moscow, Iraq and Bahrain, on 8-12 November 2005, undertaken by my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) was £98,400. In fact, the cost of the visit was £96,400.

The original figure was based on an estimate provided by our charter broker and has subsequently been revised. The cost of diverting through the UK is included in the revised figure and still stands at £30,200.

UK Consular Facilities

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people from (a) Canada, (b) Australia, (c) New Zealand, (d) India, (e) Pakistan, (f) Malawi, (g) St Lucia, (h) Trinidad and Tobago, (i) Belize, (j) Jamaica and (k) Kenya have used UK consular facilities in the absence of their own in each of the last five years. [89049]

Dr. Howells: We provide consular assistance to unrepresented EU nationals and Commonwealth citizens in certain circumstances but we do not collect information on what countries they are from. Each year in the Consular Annual Return we ask our overseas posts for a total number of persons helped in these categories. For the last two years we have asked for separate figures as in the following table. Data for 2005-06 is due in September.

EU Nationals Commonwealth citizens

2004-05

982

2,065

2003-04

1,815

1,947

2002-03

2,931

2001-02

2,112

2000-01

2,663


US National Space Policy

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on US national space policy; and if she will make a statement. [86558]

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with her US counterparts on US national space policy.

However, along with fellow EU member states, the UK regularly supports the resolution on the ‘Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space’ at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In 2005, we also supported a new UNGA resolution on Transparency and Confidence Building Measures in Outer Space Activities.


25 July 2006 : Column 1287W

Venezuala

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to develop UK-Venezuelan relations; and if she will make a statement. [87875]

Mr. Hoon: We have an active commercial relationship with Venezuela and work closely with the Venezuelan Government on many issues, particularly in the fields of energy and counter-narcotics. Our policy is to maintain constructive engagement as we have much to gain by working together.

Visa Interviews (Ho Chi Minh City)

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the letter (Ref: 26890/2006) of 18 April to the hon. Member for Sunderland South, on the possibility of conducting visa interviews in Ho Chi Minh City, when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State expects to complete his inquiries; and if she will make a statement. [87044]

Dr. Howells: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, has now completed his enquiries on this issue. Due to an administrative error in UKvisas, these enquiries were not able to be completed until now. UKvisas apologises for this error. A substantive reply from my noble Friend was sent to my hon. Friend on 23 July.

UKvisas visited Hanoi in June 2006 to review the Visa Service in Vietnam. Following the review, UKvisas is satisfied that the current operation continues to function well and there are no plans to conduct visa interviews in Ho Chi Minh City. The option was considered but deemed too resource intensive for the number of applicants involved.

The number of applicants from the south of Vietnam that are required to travel to Hanoi for interview is not expected to increase in the foreseeable future. In an effort to improve the Visa Service in Ho Chi Minh City, UKvisas is working on introducing the Fast Track criteria for visa applicants which will mean fewer applicants will be required to travel to Hanoi for interview.

Transport

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advertising campaigns the Department ran between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87054]

Gillian Merron: The requested figures for financial years 2002-03 to 2004-05 are in the following tables. The majority of advertising investment by the Department is in support of the THINK! road safety campaign with investment (£750,000) into promoting the Transport Direct portal service in 2004-05. Among non-departmental bodies for which the Department is
25 July 2006 : Column 1288W
responsible, and during the timeframe requested, major advertising investment has been by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, to explain changes to the car tax rules.

Further breakdown of agency-specific campaigns for the timescale requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Following departmental reorganisations, total expenditure figures for prior to 2002 would also involve disproportionate costs.

Department for Transport (central)
£
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

TV

5,600,000

6,000,000

4,750,000

Radio

2,600,000

2,500,000

2,160,000

Press

205,000

538,000

186,000

Other

1,100,000

1,300,000

1,660,000


Non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible
£
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

TV

2,190,000

4,670,000

3,290,000

Radio

1,800,000

1,040,000

1,740,000

Press

3,160,000

2,900,000

3,500,000

Other

1,300,000

2,210,000

1,340,000


Air Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many near misses there have been in UK airspace in each of the past 10 years. [82313]

Gillian Merron: During the 10 years from 1996 to 2005 inclusive, the number of Airprox incidents recorded in UK airspace can be broken down by category by year are in the following table.

Category of Airprox incidents
A B Total

1996

37

58

95

1997

36

64

100

1998

23

43

66

1999

23

49

72

2000

28

44

72

2001

33

42

75

2001

17

68

85

2003

14

58

72

2004

15

53

68

2005

16

51

70


A “risk bearing” Airprox is one that falls into category A (where an actual risk of collision existed) or B (where safety was not assured).


25 July 2006 : Column 1289W
Category of Airprox incidents
C D Total

1996

113

3

116

1997

105

3

108

1998

132

3

135

1999

134

2

136

2000

123

3

126

2001

115

5

120

2001

129

7

136

2003

108

1

109

2004

131

8

139

2005

116

2

118


A “non-risk bearing” Airprox is one that falls into category C (where no risk of collision existed) or D (where the risk cannot be determined).

Final reports into each event are available in hard copy, if required, from the UK Airprox Board. The more recent reports are also available from the UK Airprox Board’s website at:

    www.airproxboard.org.uk.

Alistair Graham

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to question 80515, how many days a year were expected from Sir Alistair Graham as (a) a member of the British Transport Police Committee and (b) Chairman of the British Transport Police Authority. [85988]

Gillian Merron: Sir Alistair Graham was appointed Chairman of the British Transport Police Authority on 1 July 2004. This is a part-time appointment equivalent to 60 days per year.

On 2 February 2004 he was appointed as a member of the British Transport Police Committee with the role of Chairman-designate of the British Transport Police Authority. No time commitment was specified.

Alternative Aircraft Fuels

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will examine options for development of alternatives to kerosene as a fuel for aircraft. [87928]

Gillian Merron: The UK project “The Potential for Renewable Energy Sources in Aviation” produced by Imperial College Centre for Energy, Policy and Technology in 2003 for DTI, studied the options for potential renewable fuels for civil aviation. The study examined a whole range of alternative fuels and energy sources. Any viable option would be significantly more expensive to produce than the cost of kerosene today. In general, renewable fuels are more likely to be used for road transport or electricity generation in preference to aviation.

The full report can be found at:

    http://www.iccept.ic.ac.uk/pdfs/PRESAV%20final%20report%2003Sep03.pdf

Boat Safety Scheme

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require holiday boat companies to display on all vessels a copy of the current Boat Safety Scheme certificate; and if he will make a statement. [85056]


25 July 2006 : Column 1290W

Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.

No. Vessels cannot be licensed (or registered) for use on the waterways unless a valid Boat Safety Scheme certificate is in force for those vessels to which the Scheme applies. There is therefore no need to require a copy of the certificate itself to be displayed.

Bus Companies

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus companies there are in England. [87850]

Gillian Merron: Information on the number of bus companies is not collected centrally. However, there are approximately 1,700 bus companies or their subsidiaries currently claiming bus service operators grant from the Department.

Buses (No Smoking Policies)

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice his Department gives to bus companies on the operation of no smoking policies on their vehicles. [76670]

Gillian Merron: It is common practice today for local bus services to operate a policy which requires all buses to be smoke-free. Regulations do provide for enforcement where restrictions exist.

For the future, Part 1 of the Health Act 2006 will require all buses to be smoke-free from the summer of 2007.

The Department for Health launched a consultation on regulations under these provisions on 17 July and will be publishing guidance.

Criminal Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many criminal offences his Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997. [88467]

Gillian Merron: Since the Department for Transport was created in May 2002 it has sponsored 13 Orders in Council.

Of these, the only Order remaining in force which contains a criminal offence is the Air Navigation Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/1970). That Order amended and restated provisions contained in earlier Air Navigation Orders.

Article 148 of the Order provides (across four separate paragraphs) that it is a criminal offence to contravene any provision of the Order, or any regulations made under the Order or under specified European legislation. This could be categorised as a single offence which can be committed in numerous ways or as numerous offences.

Article 3(5) of the Order provides for offences to be deemed to have been committed in respect of certain aircraft in certain circumstances. These could be considered to be separate offences, or to be an extension of the original offences.


25 July 2006 : Column 1291W

The Department also sponsored the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Order 2006 (S.I.2006/1248). This Order does not create any offences itself. However, article 2 authorises the Secretary of State to make regulations for the purpose of giving effect to the Protocol of 1997 to the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified. Article 3 provides that the Secretary of State’s regulations may provide for the contravention of those regulations to be criminal offences.

Delegated Examiners

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department maintains a register of Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners. [87846]

Dr. Ladyman: The register of delegated examiners authorised to conduct Passenger Carrying Vehicles is held by the Driving Standards Agency.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many approved Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners there are. [87847]

Dr. Ladyman: There are 75 approved Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what checks are in place to ensure that Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners only test people who are employed by their own company. [87848]

Dr. Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) regularly checks the driving tests conducted by delegated examiners for consistency and fairness.

When the delegated examiners are quality assured by DSA supervising examiners, checks undertaken as part of the supervision are to confirm the eligibility of the candidates and delegated examiners.

In addition, regulations place the burden on the employers of delegated examiners to ensure that their examiners test only their companies’ own employees.

If there is suspicion of malpractice, an investigation by DSA would be conducted.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus companies have Passenger Carrying Vehicle delegated examiners. [87849]

Dr. Ladyman: There are 74 bus companies which have delegated examiners testing for them. Of these, 70 have a substantive examiner, while the remaining four use examiners from a sister company.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the pass rate was of passenger carrying vehicle delegated examiners taking their training at Cardington for each of the last three financial years. [87854]

Dr. Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has no records of any Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) delegated examiners failing the training course at Cardington during the period specified.


25 July 2006 : Column 1292W

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger carrying vehicle delegated driving examiners had their licence removed by the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last six financial years. [87856]

Dr. Ladyman: There is no record of any passenger carrying vehicle delegated examiner being removed from the DSA register of delegated examiners in any of the previous six years.

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the pass rate was in each of the last three financial years for driving tests conducted by the Driving Standards Agency approved passenger carrying vehicle delegated driving examiners; and how many drivers passed in each year. [87857]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is in the following table:

Pass rate (Percentage) Passes

2003-04

59.8

10,785

2004-05

59.7

8,530

2005-06

59.1

8,438


Departmental Correspondence

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 489-90W to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East, on departmental correspondence, what the cost was of processing returned letters where the addressee has moved away or died. [88930]

Gillian Merron: No information is available other than for the costs involved in the investigation and handling of undelivered vehicle Registration Certificates. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency estimate that the cost of handling all undelivered Registration Certificates is approximately £160,000 annually. This amount relates to all undelivered, Certificates including those returned where the addressee has moved away or has died, which together account for approximately 13.5 per cent. of the total undelivered.

Departmental Data

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, columns 490-1W, to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East, on departmental data, with which other (a) departments and (b) public sector organisations his Department shares data. [88934]

Gillian Merron: The Agencies listed in the answer given on 10 January 2006 share data with other (a) departments, and (b) public sector organisations, on the following basis:

DVLA

Government Departments that have statutory powers to obtain information from DVLA include:

    HM Revenue and Customs for tax related purposes

    Child Support Agency to trace absent parents

    Court Service for enforcement of fines etc


25 July 2006 : Column 1293W

    Environment Agency for investigating criminal offences

    Criminal Case Review Commission for investigating criminal cases

    Department of Work and Pensions for investigating benefit fraud

    Other Department of Transport Agencies

What information is released and for what purpose is prescribed in the applicable legislation.

Public Sector organisations that receive information include:

    Local Authorities investigating an offence or a decriminalised parking contravention

    Trading Standards offices investigating vehicle related offences

    Transport for London for the enforcement of congestion charging schemes

    Local Authorities/Housing Associations dealing with abandoned vehicles

Regulations permitting the release of information to public sector organisations apply only to information held on the vehicle register. Information held on the driver register is not released.

DSA

Data is currently shared on a regular basis with DfT and all of its Agencies, including DVLA.

On a case-by-case basis, information has also been released to the following Government Departments and Public Sector bodies

    HM Revenue and Customs

    Department for Work and Persons

    Child Support Agency

    Traffic Commissioners

    Passport Office

    Immigration Service

    Public Carriage Service

    Environmental Health Department

    NHS Fraud Investigators

    Police

    Local Authorities

MCA

The Agency does not share data with other Departments or Public Sector organisations as a matter of routine, although specific requests from law enforcement bodies are considered on a case-by-case basis.

VOSA

The Agency does not share data with other Departments or Public Sector organisations.

Departmental Reorganisation Strategies

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 562W, on Reorganisation Strategies for DfT, what principles of fairness and transparency are included in Reorganisation Strategies for DfT. [89135]

Gillian Merron: The Reorganisation Strategies for the Department’s Shared Service Programme are based on the principles that all staff will be treated in line with the Department’s equal opportunities and diversity policies and redundancy arrangements.


25 July 2006 : Column 1294W

The Department will comply fully with any legislation which binds the Crown or which Ministers have undertaken to apply as if it were binding on the Crown (as set out in the ‘Introduction of the Civil Service Management Code’). The Department will also follow the Codes of Practices and Guidance produced by the Commissions for racial equality, disability rights and equal opportunities.

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 561W, on departmental staff, how many members of staff in his Department have had (a) two or more and (b) five or more periods of sickness absence in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures. [84043]

Gillian Merron: This level of detail is not readily available across the Department and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 561W, on departmental staff, to what he attributes the increase in the number of staff with (a) two and (b) five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days over the last three years. [84044]

Gillian Merron: The Department’s overall sick absence figures have gone up from 2003 to 2005. The different periods of sick absence asked in the earlier question (UIN 73114) fluctuates from one year to the next when looking at specific parts of the organisation. We attribute part of the increase in our figures to raising the profile of attendance management and more accurate recording of absence.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to his Department from the Access to Work scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget he plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if he will make a statement. [89006]

Gillian Merron: The Department does not centrally collect data pertaining to funds paid for disabled staff under the Access to Work scheme, due to the application being made directly between the applicant and the Department for Works and Pensions.

The withdrawal of funding is likely to have some impact on existing budgets but as requirements for reasonable adjustments are considered on a case by case basis; if existing budgets cannot meet the demand, a case will be submitted for additional funding from other budgets.


25 July 2006 : Column 1295W

East London Line

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his consent is required to allow Transport for London to enter into agreements with outside contractors to carry out station or train operating functions on the East London line. [87148]

Derek Twigg: The contractualisation of station and train operating functions on the East London line is a matter for Transport for London and the explicit agreement of the Secretary of State is not required.

First Capital Connect

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the Managing Director of First Capital Connect arranges to meet the hon. Member for Bedford in order to discuss matters relating to the hon. Member’s constituents. [88303]

Derek Twigg: The Secretary of State has no contractual locus to ensure that the Managing Director of First Capital Connect arranges to meet my hon. Friend. However my officials have communicated his wish to meet to the Managing Director of First Capital Connect.

Flight Restrictions (Greater London)

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) regulations and (b) flight path restrictions apply to (i) single engine helicopters and (ii) twin engine helicopters when flying over the Greater London area. [88054]

Gillian Merron: The Rules of the Air Regulations and the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Specified Area) Regulations govern flight by helicopters over London. The former regulations specify the minimum height at which a helicopter may operate, the latter regulations prohibit single engine helicopters from the central area of London below such a height as would enable them to alight clear of that area in the event of an engine failure.

Helicopters are required to follow published routes over London subject to an air traffic control clearance. The routes, detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication published by the CAA, are designed to provide maximum safety in respect of single engine helicopter traffic by avoiding built-up areas as much as possible. Twin engine helicopters, such as those operated by the emergency services, may be cleared to fly outside those routes according to their specific requirements and the Rules of the Air.

In addition, an aircraft flying in accordance with the terms of a police air operator's certificate (PAOC) is exempt from certain parts of the Rules of the Air Regulations, including the low flying rule, if the aircraft is flown in accordance with the Police Air Operations Manual (CAP 612), published by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk). In London, the Metropolitan police and the Surrey police have been granted PAOCs and may be permitted to hover above particular locations depending on the operational requirement.


25 July 2006 : Column 1296W

Freight Trains

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many freight trains carrying (a) nuclear products and (b) hazardous material have travelled through (i) Brent and (ii) Brent, East in each year since 1997. [87715]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department does not hold or maintain such records. The transport of dangerous goods by rail, including radioactive material, is subject to strict regulation, based upon internationally agreed provisions, to minimise the risk to members of the public, workers and the environment.

Helicopter Accidents

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving helicopters have occurred in London in each of the last five years. [87778]

Gillian Merron: In replying to the question the definition of London is taken as the area bounded by the M25 and the definitions of accident and incident are as stated in Statutory Instrument 1996 No 2798: The Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996.

Number of
Accidents Incidents

2001

2002

1

1

2003

2

2004

1

1

2005

2006

(1)2

(1 )To date.

Helicopter Noise Pollution

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated since 1988 on noise pollution from helicopter use over (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) the Greater London area. [88057]

Gillian Merron: The Department has not commissioned any substantial new work on helicopter noise since that carried out for the London Heliport Study in 1992-94 and published in 1995.

Highways Expenditure

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much highway funding per capita was made available in the Yorkshire and Humber Region in 2005-06. [88594]

Gillian Merron: For 2005-06, the Department made a capital allocation of £76.588 million to local highway authorities in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region, as part of the Local Transport Plan settlement. It is for the local highway authorities to determine how their capital highway maintenance allocations are spent, in line with their local transport plan and their priorities.


25 July 2006 : Column 1297W

In addition, the Highways Agency provided capital funding of £9.158 million for trunk roads and motorways in their area 12, which is their equivalent, but not an exact geographical area. Based on a Yorkshire and Humber region population of 4,964,833 (2001 Census), this represents an estimated capital funding of £17.27 per person.

Local authorities can also allocate other sources of Government support for capital funding to highways. Besides this, street lighting contracts in Leeds and Wakefield will benefit from £110.8 million of PFI credits.

The Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from the Department for Communities and Local Government provides revenue funding for highway maintenance. However, RSG is unhypothecated and may be applied by local authorities to any services.

Journey Times

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require the local authorities in each of the 10 largest urban areas in England to make an assessment of how journey times per mile can be reduced by road users using motorcycles, scooters or mopeds for urban journeys. [89103]

Gillian Merron: It is for each local authority to determine how best to tackle congestion in their area, consistent with local priorities and circumstances. Local authorities’ plans for tackling congestion are included in their ‘Local Transport Plans’, published in March (for London, the Transport for London business plan).

Liverpool Street/Stratford (Trackside Buildings)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will have discussions with Network Rail, the One Railway Company and organisers of the London 2012 Olympics on improving the appearance of the buildings, structures and trackside between London Liverpool Street Station and Stratford Station. [87413]

Derek Twigg: As the operator and owner of the national rail network, Network Rail has responsibility for trackside maintenance and appearance and between now and the games. We will discuss with them and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) what practical steps can be taken to improve the appearance of the route. The Olympic Transport Plan is due to be issued for consultation in the autumn by the ODA and will include the arrangements for working with the rail industry on the transport required to stage the games.

Local Transport Budgets

Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used in deciding to reduce Stoke-on-Trent city council’s transport budget for each year until 2010. [81769]

Gillian Merron: The levels of Stoke-on-Trent city council’s transport budgets are ultimately a matter for the council to determine. Government funding support for local transport in Stoke is provided in a variety of
25 July 2006 : Column 1298W
ways including through the revenue support grant, which is not allocated between individual council services.

Government support for councils’ transport capital programmes is provided in three main areas. The support provided to Stoke-on-Trent city council for one of those areas is planned to reduce.

This is because, following consultation, a formula is being introduced over the five years up to 2010-11 to distribute much of the support for integrated transport improvements over the next five years. The factors considered in this formula are set out in my reply of 4 July 2006, Official Report, columns 922-23W.

Further details of its rationale can be found in the paper about financial planning guidelines for local transport plans on the Department’s website (www.dft.gov.uk) in the consultation paper sub-section of the regional and local transport section.

Stoke-on-Trent city council has been issued with planning guidelines for this part of its funding support for the years 2007-08 to 2010-11. Stoke-on-Trent city council may mitigate the planned funding reduction in a number of ways, including through demonstrating strong delivery of its previous programme.

London Transport (Offences)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many offences were committed on London Transport in each year since 1997. [87709]

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to offences committed on the London Underground system and on the rail system in London is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:

general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

M40

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the projected increase in traffic flow between junctions 3 and 7 of the M40 for each year between 2006 and 2026. [88320]

Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the factors by which the previous year's traffic flows would be multiplied in each year, according to current long-term forecasts in themselves, as outcomes for each year will vary in ways that reflect unpredictable events and other short term factors.


25 July 2006 : Column 1299W
OV( 1) HGV( 2)

2005 to 2006

1.0165

1.0255

2006 to 2007

1.0165

1.0255

2007 to 2008

1.0146

1.0244

2008 to 2009

1.0146

1.0244

2009 to 2010

1.0146

1.0244

2010 to 2011

1.0146

1.0244

2011 to 2012

1.0146

1.0244

2012 to 2013

1.0137

1.0252

2013 to 2014

1.0137

1.0252

2014 to 2015

1.0137

1.0252

2015 to 2016

1.0137

1.0252

2016 to 2017

1.0137

1.0252

2017 to 2018

1.0101

1.0239

2018 to 2019

1.0101

1.0239

2019 to 2020

1.0101

1.0239

2020 to 2021

1.0101

1.0239

2021 to 2022

1.0101

1.0239

2022 to 2023

1.0069

1.0227

2023 to 2024

1.0069

1.0227

2024 to 2025

1.0069

1.0227

2025 to 2026

1.0069

1.0227

2026 to 2027

1.0069

1.0227

(1) Vehicles below 5 metres in length (2) Vehicles above 5 metres in length


Ministerial Journeys

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ministerial journeys he has made on public transport in each of the last five years. [86409]

Gillian Merron: Since the Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002, my right hon. friend the Secretary of State and his predecessor have made 221 journeys on ministerial business using scheduled public transport for which the Department has paid. The number undertaken in each financial year is:

Number

2002-03

30

2003-04

63

2004-05

55

2005-06

62

2006-07(1)

11

(1)Up to 5 July 2006.

No information is available on short journeys which may have been made using public transport locally during the course of visits or in undertaking visits within London.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87637]

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State’s office has been decorated once in the last five years, in 2002-03.

Nightstar Rolling Stock

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who received the revenue from the sale to Canada of Nightstar rolling stock; and if he will make a statement. [82437]

Derek Twigg: The proceeds from the sale were credited to London and Continental Railways.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent from public funds on the manufacture of Nightstar rolling stock; and if he will make a statement. [81628]


25 July 2006 : Column 1300W

Derek Twigg: The order for Nightstar stock was placed in 1992 by European night services, a consortium of European railway operators, which included British Rail.

The financial consequences of the decision not to proceed with Nightstar services were described by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in his statement to the House of 3 June 1998.

Noise Hotspots

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the Highways Agency’s report An Assessment of Noise Hotspots Alongside the M40. [88337]

Dr. Ladyman: The report has just been finalised and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The report is to be published on the Highways Agency’s website shortly.

Noise Severity Index

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will alter the formula for calculating the noise severity index to take account of the local environment. [88319]

Dr. Ladyman: No. The calculation of the index is already carried out in such a way as to ensure resources are targeted at locations where noise levels are greatest and where the greatest number of people would derive benefit from the measures taken.

North London Line

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many journeys were subject to delays on the North London line in each year since 1997. [87716]

Derek Twigg: The information is not held by the Department in the format requested. Information on delayed trains is held by Network Rail.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) assaults and (b) robberies there were on the North London line in each year since 1997. [87719]

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to assaults and robberies on the North London line is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many freight journeys there were on the North London line in each year since 1997. [87720]

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.


25 July 2006 : Column 1301W

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [84010]

Gillian Merron: Between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006 the current Secretary of State and his predecessor visited the English regions on departmental business as set out in the following table:

Region Number of visits

South East

3

South West

2

East Midlands

4

West Midlands

2

East of England

2

Yorkshire and Humber

2

North East

1

North West

3


Outsourcing

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what administrative functions for which his Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment he has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81556]

Gillian Merron: The Department and its component agencies have no administrative functions outsourced overseas. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has, in the past, looked at outsourcing its customer call centre function. This option was rejected following a full analysis of the economic and social impact and the potential effect on customer service levels.

Parliamentary Questions

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he issues to officials in his
25 July 2006 : Column 1302W
Department on the use of publicly available information such as external websites in answers to parliamentary questions. [84411]

Gillian Merron: The approach taken by departmental staff is that where the information requested in parliamentary questions is easily available, such as in the House Libraries or on websites, hon. Members are advised accordingly.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85197]

Gillian Merron: As at 19 July 2006, 35 Department for Transport parliamentary questions which were due to be answered on 10 July 2006 or before were awaiting a reply, one of which has been waiting more than two weeks.

Passenger Transport Executives

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1700W, on the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, what the equivalent figures are for each of the other Passenger Transport Executive areas. [85913]

Gillian Merron: The total funds allocated by the Department for Transport in the annual settlement and in grants to Passenger Transport Executives in England are shown in the following table. These totals include funding for rail, bus services and local transport. In the case of rail and bus service funding, these allocations are entirely in the form of grant. Local Transport Plan funding covers integrated transport block (for small schemes), maintenance and major projects, and is allocated as a combination of capital grant and supported borrowing. 2005-06 figures are provisional and subject to audit.

£ million
Passenger Transport Executive 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Merseyside

105.8

110.3

112.8

110.1

101.7

West Midlands

60.3

60.6

63.3

87.0

82.3

Tyne and Wear

22.3

19.9

26.4

19.7

9.2

West Yorkshire

62.6

70.9

91.7

111

64.1

South Yorkshire

50.5

36.1

36.5

30.6

29.0


Questionnaires

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out, wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was of each. [83164]

Gillian Merron: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Rail Fares

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the elasticity of demand of rail fares. [84687]

Derek Twigg: Rail fare demand elasticity is assessed and researched jointly by the Department and train operators. The findings are commercially confidential.


25 July 2006 : Column 1303W

The Department also has a research programme to develop its own understanding of the relationship between fares and other demand factors. The first phase of this work is due to report during 2007.

Rail Freight Interchanges

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what environmental factors are taken into account when deciding where to grant permission for a rail freight interchange. [88609]

Derek Twigg: Granting of planning permission for freight interchanges is a matter for local authorities. Planning guidance is published by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is available on their web site at www.communities.gov.uk .

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will visit the proposed site for a rail freight interchange in Park Street, St. Albans. [88727]

Derek Twigg: The possible development of a rail freight interchange is a matter between the private sector developer and the local authority.

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria his Department took into account when deciding there was a need for four rail freight interchanges. [88728]

Derek Twigg: Consideration for the national provision of rail freight interchanges was undertaken by the Strategic Rail Authority. Their Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy was published in March 2004. The SRA has since been abolished but a copy of this document and a note of its current status is available on our website at www.dft.gov.uk.

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent studies have been undertaken on the capacity of the rail systems around London to accommodate freight; and if he will make a statement. [88729]

Derek Twigg: Network Rail will be publishing the Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), which deals with the availability of rail capacity around London, towards the end of August 2006. A network-wide Freight RUS is also in the course of preparation, and a consultation draft will be available shortly.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has established a working group in his Department to carry out a feasibility study into the potential of additional high speed rail lines. [82316]

Derek Twigg: The Government have a manifesto commitment to look at the feasibility and affordability of a new north-south high-speed link. The Government have committed to take this forward in the development of a long-term strategy for the railways, drawing on Sir Rod Eddington’s advice on the long-term impact of transport decisions on the UK’s productivity, stability and growth. The Department has
25 July 2006 : Column 1304W
established a working group to look at a range of options for inter-urban rail travel including, but not restricted to, high speed lines. The group’s work will contribute to the long term strategy for the railways to be published in summer 2007.

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many passengers on average used the Cambridge to London rail service during peak hours in each of the last five years; and how many used the service in each year; [82591]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the expected number of passengers using the rail service between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street during the course of the contract operated by One (a) during peak hours and (b) in total. [82599]

Derek Twigg: Table A shows the number of passengers arriving in the AM peak and departing in the PM evening peak at both London Kings Cross and London Liverpool Street from Cambridge for 2001 to 2005 inclusive.

Table B shows the number of passengers arriving in the AM peak and departing in the PM peak at London Liverpool Street from Cambridge for the years 2004 and 2005.

Table A
Cambridge-London( 1) AM London-Cambridge( 1) PM

2001

7,839

7,381

2002

7,832

7,512

2003

7,839

7,637

2004

10,383

9,336

2005

10,896

9,825

(1) Figures are for arrivals and departures at both London Kings Cross and London Liverpool Street. In 2004 service became ‘One’ Railway and now includes Cambridge trains previously operated by WAGN.

Table B
Cambridge-London Liverpool Street AM London Liverpool Street-Cambridge PM

2004

5,039

5,545

2005

5,362

4,505


Prior to the letting of the Greater Anglia franchise, the Department for Transport estimated in its specification for that franchise that the number of passengers using the West Anglia routes in the peak to be just under 20 million in 2001 and just above 21.5 million in 2011. It estimated the number of passengers using the West Anglia routes in the off peak to be 11 million in 2001 and forecast that it would be approximately 14 million by 2011.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government have taken to improve rail services between Swindon and Westbury and at intermediate towns to provide transport alternatives for the new housing planned in the area. [84821]

Derek Twigg: Improving rail performance is a key objective for the Department for Transport. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and First Great Western to address performance issues, including the Swindon to Westbury route. These are monitored monthly.


25 July 2006 : Column 1305W

Demand for rail services between Westbury and Swindon is concentrated at peak periods, and the Government have specified direct train services at these times.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which routes (a) are and (b) are expected by 2014 to be carrying trains which are loaded with passengers to a level that is in excess of capacity. [85566]

Derek Twigg: The Passengers in Excess of Capacity (PIXC) measure only applies to London commuter services.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) publishes PIXC figures in its National Rail Trends publication, the most recent version of which was published on 5 July 2006.

The document is on the internet at the following address http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/294.pdf and has been made available in the Library of the House.

Network Rail’s Route Utilisation Strategies forecast passenger demand and identify where this might exceed current peak capacity. Network Rail has recently published an overview of this in its Initial Strategic Business Plan for the period from 2008-09 to 2013-14.

The Department for Transport is now undertaking a network appraisal of passenger demand to inform the development of the High Level Output Specification, assisted by the work done by Network Rail. Increased passenger capacity is one of the three key outputs that will be sought through the HLOS, the others being safety and reliability. The HLOS will set out the railway the Government wish to procure for 2008-09 to 2013-14 and the funds it will make available for this, and will be published in July 2007.

Road Schemes

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what potential carbon dioxide impacts have been included in the Appraisal Summary Tables of local authority road schemes approved through the Local Transport Plans since 2000. [86137]

Dr. Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 May 2006, Official Report, column 23W. Information on the carbon dioxide impacts of each road scheme approved since 2000 through local transport plans could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Road Statistics

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) total number of accidents, (b) average daily traffic flow and (c) accident rate per million vehicle kilometres was for the stretch of (i) A14 between Girton and Cambridge, (ii) the A10 between Cambridge and Ely and (iii) the A1307 between Haverhill and Cambridge in each year since 1997. [88733]


25 July 2006 : Column 1306W

Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police, the annual average daily traffic flow and the accident rate per million vehicle kilometres, for the roads requested are given in the following tables.

The number of damage only accidents is not available.

Table 1: Accidents, average daily traffic flow, and accident rate per million vehicle kilometres on the A14 between where it joins the A428 in Girton and the A10 in Cambridge: 1997-2005
Accidents( 1) AADF( 2) Accident rate( 3)

1997

26

53,587

0.2

1998

31

49,775

0.3

1999

16

53,682

0.1

2000

20

51 ,447

0.2

2001

18

56,847

0.2

2002

22

57,068

0.2

2003

21

56,541

0.2

2004

22

53,589

0.2

2005

17

54,470

0.2

(1) Personal injury road accidents reported to the police.
(2) Annual average daily traffic flow.
(3) Accident rate per million vehicle km's.

Table 2: Accidents, average daily traffic flow, and accident rate per million vehicle kilometres on the A10 between where it joins the A14 in Cambridge and the junction with the A142 in Elys: 1997-2005
Accidents( 1) AADF( 2) Accident Rate( 3)

1997

55

14,656

0.4

1998

62

14,994

0.4

1999

52

14,921

0.3

2000

73

14,807

0.5

2001

67

16,360

0.4

2002

58

16,769

0.3

2003

52

16,522

0.3

2004

70

17,775

0.4

2005

53

17,353

0.3

(1) Personal Injury road accidents reported to the police
(2) Annual average dally traffic flow
(3) Accident rate per million vehicle km's.

Table 3: Accidents, average daily traffic flow, and accident rate per million vehicle kilometres on the A1307 between the junctions with A143 in Haverhill and the A1134 in Cambridge: 1997-2005
Accidents( 1) AADF( 2) Accident Rate( 3)

1997

106

14,752

0.8

1998

114

15,071

0.8

1999

96

15,279

0.7

2000

135

15,603

0.9

2001

114

15,641

0.8

2002

106

16,071

0.7

2003

97

16,372

0.6

2004

103

16,261

0.7

2005

81

15,735

0.5

(1) Personal Injury road accidents reported to the police
(2) Annual average dally traffic flow
(3) Accident rate per million vehicle km's.

Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the protection offered under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998, in conjunction with the
25 July 2006 : Column 1307W
Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994, for European wildlife sites in respect of ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other cargoes in harbour authority areas. [87810]

Dr. Ladyman: In the recent case of Forth Ports' proposal to carry out ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth, the Department concluded that Forth Ports has powers to regulate (and if necessary, prevent) ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth. Forth Ports also has power under byelaws enacted under local legislation to regulate whether vessels can anchor to transfer cargo. As a competent authority under the habitats regulations, Forth Ports also must have regard to the requirements of the habitats directive insofar as they may be affected by the exercise of its functions.

Additionally, under regulation 44 of the habitats regulations, there is provision to license activities that could disturb a European protected species, or damage or destroy breeding sites or resting places. As this is for a devolved purpose, it is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive to determine whether a licence would be required for ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth.

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are available to regulate programmes of ship-to-ship transfer of oil proposed to be carried out for commercial purposes (a) within harbour authority areas and (b) elsewhere in UK internal and territorial waters. [87812]

Dr. Ladyman: Within statutory harbour authority areas, the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 apply. The regulations require harbour authorities to have an oil spill contingency plan (OSCP) approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. These plans include a risk assessment and the provision of oil combating equipment commensurate to the identified risk. The approval of harbour authority OSCPs does not grant permission for the activities identified within the plan to take place. It is the role of the harbour authority through appropriate byelaws to decide whether to permit these activities.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation under the Habitats Directive will be available if the proposed ship-to-ship oil transfer planning applications by Melbourne marine services in the Firth of Forth is approved. [89069]

Dr. Ladyman: The role of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, for which the Secretary of State for Transport has responsibility, is limited to amending and approving oil spill contingency plans. Article 6(4) of the Habitats Directive, which is the Article which refers to compensatory measures, does not apply in this case because the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has concluded that the submitted oil spill contingency plan covering ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth and the amendments to the overarching Clearwater Forth contingency plan will not have any adverse effects on the integrity of the relevant nature conservation sites, or on relevant species such as seals and seabirds outside those sites.


25 July 2006 : Column 1308W

Furthermore, under regulation 44 of the Habitats Regulations, there is provision to license activities that could disturb a European protected species, or damage or destroy breeding sites or resting places. As this is for a devolved purpose, it is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive to determine whether a licence would be required for ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the ship-to-ship oil transfer planning application in the Firth of Forth by Melbourne maritime services fulfils the criterion set out in the Habitats Directive that the project must be in the overriding public interest. [89070]

Dr. Ladyman: It is for Forth Ports, as the competent harbour authority, to decide whether to permit ship-to-ship transfers.

Furthermore, under regulation 44 of the Habitats Regulations, there is provision to license activities that could disturb a European protected species, or damage or destroy breeding sites or resting places. As this is for a devolved purpose, it is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive to determine whether a licence would be required for ship-to-ship transfers in the Firth of Forth.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) he and (b) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had with the (i) Scottish Executive and (ii) the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency regarding the ship-to-ship oil transfer planning application by Melbourne Marine Services in the Firth of Forth. [88581]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department and its Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) are in regular contact with the Scottish Executive and its agencies on a number of issues, including this one.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation the Maritime and Coastguard Agency undertook with local authorities regarding the ship-to-ship oil transfer planning application by Melbourne Marine Services in the Firth of Forth. [89067]

Dr. Ladyman: The role of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is limited to approving or amending oil spill contingency plans.

Forth Ports plc. was required, in accordance with published MCA guidance entitled “Contingency Planning for Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response: Guidelines for Ports”, to consult a range of consultees before formally submitting the oil spill contingency plans for approval. The list of consultees included the local authorities for the area concerned.

The MCA hosted a stakeholder meeting in Grangemouth on 25 July 2005 in which East Lothian Council, Fife Council, Forth Ports, Melbourne Marine Services, the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage all participated.


25 July 2006 : Column 1309W

A public consultation was also held by the MCA to assess the implications for relevant nature conservation sites of Forth Ports’ oil spill contingency plans. A number of local authorities for the area concerned responded as consultees.

In light of the consultation responses and taking into account the advice of Scottish Natural Heritage, the statutory nature conservation authority, the MCA finalised its assessment and considered whether any amendments to the plan were required.

The MCA announced on 14 July 2006 its intention to approve the submitted plans, subject to a number of specified changes.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the European Commission regarding the ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Firth of Forth in the context of the Habitats Directive. [89068]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department has had no such discussions with the European Commission.

Smoking Ban (Railway Stations)

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) train operators on the introduction of the ban on smoking in railway stations in 2007. [89144]

Derek Twigg: Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies were among those whose views were sought as the Health Bill progressed through Parliament. The rail industry has a further opportunity to comment through a consultation (which began on 17 July) on Regulations which it is proposed will be made now that the Bill has received Royal Assent.

South Coast Study (Bristol/Bath)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why his Department decided to pursue a timetable specification that does not accord with the findings of the Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study. [85237]

Derek Twigg: In preparation of the Greater Western franchise specification, an assessment was made of the existing and future demand for passenger rail traffic on the Cardiff/Bristol to Southampton/Portsmouth rail corridor; this confirmed that the existing hourly train service was adequate to cater for the demand.

Staff Absenteeism

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2006, Official Report, column 1272W, on staff absenteeism, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the average cost of an employee’s absence between 2003 and 2004. [85226]


25 July 2006 : Column 1310W

Gillian Merron: When comparing the years 2003 and 2004 the estimated total cost of absenteeism provided in the previous answer has actually gone down. The costs were calculated by multiplying the total number of days lost to sick absence by the average daily cost used by the Cabinet Office in the annual report “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”. There was a small increase in the average daily cost figure between the two years.

Street Lighting

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is on street lighting remaining on after 1am. [86965]

Gillian Merron: Street lighting service levels are a matter for individual highway authorities.

The effects of reducing lighting levels or turning lights off will vary from case to case. Any cost savings from reduced energy use would have to be balanced against potential adverse effects, for example on accidents or crime.

The Department is represented on the UK Lighting Board, which has already prepared Well-lit Highways, the code of practice on highway lighting management (December 2004, TSO). The board is currently preparing additional guidance for authorities on the implications of dimming or turning off lights.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how many tons of carbon would be saved by switching off street lights at 1am. [86967]

Gillian Merron: There are approximately 5 million street lighting columns in England, but no comprehensive information is collected centrally relating to their energy consumption.

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of street lights which (a) are solar-powered, (b) are wind-powered and (c) have light sensitive switches. [88821]

Gillian Merron: Street lighting is a matter for each individual highway authority. No information is collected centrally concerning the proportion of street lights which are wind-powered, whether directly or through sustainable energy contracts. There are no economically viable solar power systems available at present. Although precise figures are not centrally collected, more than 90 per cent. of English local authorities’ five million street lights are controlled by photo-electric cells, as are the great majority of those on the Highways Agency’s network.

Taxi Access

Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce taxi access regulations under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 before 2010. [86527]


25 July 2006 : Column 1311W

Gillian Merron: The Government do not intend to bring forward the introduction of taxi accessibility regulations under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, ahead of the proposals announced in the House on 26 October 2003. These would see the phasing in of regulations, under Part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in specified licensing areas from 2010 (for all newly licensed vehicles), with full compliance by 2020.

The 2010 date has been proposed to accommodate a full public consultation process, to give sufficient time for vehicle manufacturers and converters to produce new models that meet the regulations, and to give the trade sufficient time to adapt to the change.

We are currently developing the technical specification which will form the basis for the regulations.

In the period before regulations are introduced, local licensing authorities remain free to introduce their own accessibility policies and many have done so already.

Thameslink

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumptions were made about the (a) level of fares and (b) number of passengers to be carried at peak times in the successful bid by First Capital Connect for the Thameslink franchise; and if he will make a statement. [84360]

Derek Twigg: The First Capital Connect bid was consistent with the current fares policy. Unregulated fares and restrictions as to their use are a matter for the train operating company’s commercial judgment.

First Capital Connect forecasts increased patronage on its routes throughout the term of the franchise. The Department is working with the industry to increase the length of peak services on routes to Bedford, St. Albans and Luton so that all will have eight carriages by the end of 2009.

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the companies bidding for the former Thameslink franchise incorporated (a) passenger reductions and (b) fare increases in their base line bid; and if he will make a statement. [82679]

Derek Twigg: We cap the price of regulated fares. It is a commercial decision for Train Operators to set unregulated fares and to set individual regulated fares within the regulatory constraint.

Three of the five bidders for the Thameslink/Great Northern franchise put forward proposals for demand management in order to address the level of crowding on particular services. No bidder included proposals for passenger reduction.

Train Operating Companies

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to train operating companies regarding their communication with hon. Members. [88302]

Derek Twigg: None.


25 July 2006 : Column 1312W

Train Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review peak time train services along the Brighton to London Victoria line. [89125]

Derek Twigg: Peak time services between London and Brighton are among the issues currently being considered as part of the Department’s evaluation of the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review train services to Crowhurst, East Sussex; and if he will make a statement. [89108]

Derek Twigg: Southeastern plan a major timetable review in 2007, ahead of the introduction of CTRL Domestic Services. This will provide an opportunity to review service patterns across the franchise.

Train Timetables

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether the formats in which train timetables are produced by Network Rail are governed by regulations; [88352]

(2) what assessment has been made of the impact of changing to internet-only railway timetables; [88353]

(3) in what formats Network Rail produces train timetables; and whether changes are planned. [88361]

Derek Twigg: Network Rail’s Network Licence places an obligation on it to “publish or procure the publication of a national timetable of railway passenger services”.

Network Rail currently discharges this obligation by producing a National Rail Timetable in A5 format.

Any decision to change the current, publication and distribution of the National Rail Timetable is the responsibility of Network Rail.

The hon. Member should contact Network Rail’s Chief Executive at the address below for an answer to his question:

John Armitt, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London NW1 2EE.

Transport Access (Disabled People)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further plans he has to improve access to transport for disabled people in West Lancashire. [83546]

Gillian Merron: We are committed to an accessible public transport system in which disabled people have the same opportunities to travel as other members of society and have already made significant progress in this area. At a national level regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) have been introduced making all new rail vehicles, buses and coaches accessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users. Over 4,400 accessible rail vehicles are already in service and almost half of the bus fleet used
25 July 2006 : Column 1313W
nationwide on scheduled services is accessible. We have also announced our policy proposals for taxis. As a result, many more disabled people, are now able to use public transport and those improvements will continue as more new vehicles are introduced.

Measures in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA 2005), which significantly extends disabled people’s civil rights, will further strengthen legislation in relation to transport. The Act enables Part 3 of the DDA 1995, which covers access to goods, facilities and services, to be applied to transport services. We have already laid regulations which will cover land-based public transport (regardless of whether those vehicles are regulated under the DDA 1995), vehicle hire and breakdown services. The Disability Rights Commission has drafted a code of practice to assist transport service providers in understanding the new duties which will come into force on 4 December 2006. The Commission is also developing further, sector specific, guidance on what it might be reasonable for transport operators to do to make their services more accessible to disabled people.

The Act also includes further measures on rail including the setting of an “end date”, of no later than 1 January 2020, by which time all rail vehicles will have to be fully accessible, applying accessibility regulations to older rail vehicles when they are refurbished, the introduction of compliance certification and decriminalisation of offences. We intend to have all the major provisions of the DDA 2005, including those on transport, in place by the end of December 2006 and are on course to achieve this.

However, provision of accessible vehicles on their own is not sufficient to deliver an accessible transport system. We are also looking at this issue and have implemented the majority of the recommendations from the Social Exclusion Unit’s report on transport and social exclusion (Making the Connections, 2003).

These include the introduction of “accessibility planning” into the local transport planning process to encourage local authorities and other agencies to assess whether people can access key services such as health care, education and jobs.

Accessibility planning aims to ensure that there is a clearer and more systematic approach to identifying and tackling the barriers that people, particularly those from disadvantaged groups and areas, face in accessing jobs and key services. Considering the accessibility needs of disabled people is part of this process.

Lancashire county council’s proposals for delivering improvements in accessibility are set out in its second Local Transport Plan which is available on the Council's web site at www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/ltp/index.asp.

Transport Direct Portal

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) estimated and (b) outturn cost was in each year since inception of the (i) development and (ii) running of the Transport Direct portal. [85819]


25 July 2006 : Column 1314W

Dr. Ladyman: Since inception, estimated and outturn spend on the Transport Direct Portal Design, Build and Operate (DBO) contract, which covers both development and operational costs, has been as follows:

£ million
Period Estimate Outturn

2002-03

1.9

1.3

2003-04

9.9

9.3

2004-05

8.5

9.6

2005-06

9.1

9.8


These figures represent the total sums paid to Atos Origin (the DBO contractor) for all aspects of the DBO contract.

The overall budget for the Transport Direct (TD) Programme, which included this contract among many other things, was £57 million (Capital and Resource) for the Period of Spending Review 2002 (April 2003 to March 2006). The overall programme budget underspent by £12 million and, with the agreement of the TD Programme and Project Boards, funds were transferred from the TD Programme to the Portal DBO contract to reflect the fact that some of the work originally envisaged as programme was undertaken within the project. This accounts for the minor overspends noted above against 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Transport Infrastructures (High Temperatures)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the abilities of the (a) rail and (b) road infrastructure to cope in temperatures greater than 30 degrees centigrade. [88285]

Derek Twigg: Bituminous road surfacing can be susceptible to extremes in temperature causing deformation, usually in the form of rutting. High temperatures can also reduce the skid resistance of the surface.

Design and maintenance of the local road network in England are matters for individual local highway authorities, and no central assessment has been made of their susceptibility to high temperatures. The UK Roads Board has recently published “Well-maintained Highways” (July 2005, TSO and at www.ukroadsliaisongroup.org ), a code of practice for highways maintenance. This specifically includes advice on dealing with high temperatures.

On the motorway and trunk road network in England, two types of bituminous surfacing are used; “hot rolled asphalt” and “thin surfacings”. Approximately seventy per cent. of this network is covered in hot rolled asphalt that is designed to withstand road surface temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius. Thin surfacings, that cover the remainder, consist of coarse aggregate bound by hard bituminous materials and can withstand road surface temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius. All new or replacement surfacings laid by the Highways Agency on this network are “thin surfacings”.

Bridges and other types of structure on the road network are designed to accommodate changes in temperatures in a way that is appropriate to their location.


25 July 2006 : Column 1315W

The resilience of the rail infrastructure to very high temperatures is an operational matter for Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for an answer to his question:

John Armitt, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London NW1 2EE.

Travel Costs (Royal Family)

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to public funds was of the travel of HRH the Duke of York on 19 July 2006; and if he will make a statement. [87797]

Gillian Merron: On 19 July, HRH The Duke of York undertook a number of official engagements in Cheshire and Merseyside in support of his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. The Queen’s Helicopter was used for travel as this provided the most effective and least disruptive means for The Duke to attend seven official engagements during the day. The total cost of the four flights was £2,799.

Trunk Roads (Gravesham)

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of future traffic patterns on trunk roads in Gravesham; and whether provision has been made for possible increases in traffic. [86680]

Gillian Merron: As part of operating in partnership with key stakeholders, the Highways Agency and Kent county council are working with Gravesham and Dartford borough councils to estimate and model future traffic patterns to ensure growth is planned in the most sustainable way on both the strategic and local road networks. This work is on-going and will help inform Gravesham's Local Development Framework.

UK International Airports/Ports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the international (a) airports and (b) ports in the United Kingdom. [87296]

Gillian Merron: UK airports handling international terminal passenger traffic are listed in table 10.1 of UK Airport Statistics 2005, which is published on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website www.caa.co.uk. All active sea ports in the UK are potentially capable of receiving international traffic. The main sea ports which are known to handle international traffic based on returns to the Department are given in tables 1.9 and 3.1 (a) of Maritime Statistics 2004, covering freight and passenger traffic respectively. These tables are published on the Department’s website www.dft.gov.uk.


25 July 2006 : Column 1316W

Vehicle Relicensing

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transaction charge is issued by each credit card company for relicensing vehicles on line; how the £2.50 charge to cover the costs incurred by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in providing this service was calculated; and how many credit card transactions took place in the last year for which information is available. [88815]

Dr. Ladyman: Charges applied for processing credit card transactions by the credit card companies are of a sensitive commercial nature and therefore cannot be disclosed. The £2.50 fee is calculated to cover the full cost of administering the service and is reviewed annually. The fee includes credit card costs incurred and DVLA operating costs. There have been 448,372 credit card payments since introduction of the service in November 2005.

Violence on Trains

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of violence on trains have been reported to the British Transport police in the last five years. [87213]

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to incidents of violence on trains is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Prime Minister

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Prime Minister what advertising campaigns his Office has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87059]

The Prime Minister: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on 24 July [87070].

Background Reading

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement. [87589]

The Prime Minister: Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.


25 July 2006 : Column 1317W

Cash for Peerages

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether legal representation was provided at public expense to Number 10 staff questioned by police officers in connection with the current Scotland Yard investigation into allegations regarding cash for peerages; [87018]

(2) whether legal representation was provided at public expense to Cabinet Office staff questioned by police officers in connection with the current Scotland Yard investigation into allegations regarding cash for peerages. [87019]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my Official Spokesman on Friday 14 July. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

G8

Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the conversation he had with the President of the US at the G8 which was broadcast by mistake. [88437]

The Prime Minister: No.

Lords Appointments

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Prime Minister which (a) civil servants, (b) Ministers and (c) others are entitled (i) to view and (ii) to know the contents of (A) application and (B) disclosure forms submitted by those who are to be proposed for peerages prior to such forms being received by the Lords Appointments Commission. [85866]

The Prime Minister: Different processes apply to different categories of nominations, for example, applications made direct to the House of Lords Appointments Commission, party-political nominations, and the limited number of candidates I recommend for people in high public office on their retirement.

Ministerial Holiday Deputies

Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister when he will be out of the country on holiday this summer; between what dates the Deputy Prime Minister will act in his stead; and who will deputise for the Deputy Prime Minister. [88435]

The Prime Minister: For security reasons, my future engagements are announced as and when appropriate. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) at Prime Minister's questions on 12 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1384-85.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Prime Minister what trade-related (a) missions he plans to undertake and (b) meetings he plans to hold during the parliamentary recess. [86764]

The Prime Minister: For security reasons, my future engagements are announced as and when appropriate.


25 July 2006 : Column 1318W

Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister which public appointments are in his gift, apart from Ministers of the Crown; what emoluments are payable; what the comparable figures were in (a) 1976, (b) 1979, (c) 1986 and (d) 1996; and if he will make a statement. [83230]

The Prime Minister: I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of the appointments which I make.

The remainder of the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Standing Order No. 13

Mr. Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he uses to determine when to make representations to the Speaker seeking the earlier meeting of the House under Standing Order No. 13. [88436]

The Prime Minister: The criteria is set out in Part 1 of Standing Order 13.

Home Department

Burglary

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic burglaries have taken place in each year since 1997. [88518]

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is published in Table 2.04 of “Crime in England and Wales 2005/06”, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 12/06. A copy of the publication is available on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0506.html

Capita Group

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have held with directors and senior executives of (i) Capita Group plc and (ii) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2004; and whether (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries have provided input (1) in writing and (2) in person to policy discussions in his Department since 1 January 2004. [61074]

John Reid: It is not possible to answer this question without incurring disproportionate costs.

Community Support Officers

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there are; and if he will make a statement. [86312]

Mr. McNulty: The most recent available information is contained in the following table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1319W

25 July 2006 : Column 1320W
Police community support officer (PCSO) strength in England and Wales (full-time equivalents)( 1) as at 30 September 2005
Police force area PCSO strength (fte)

Avon and Somerset

146

Bedfordshire

43

Cambridgeshire

92

Cheshire

77

Cleveland

86

Cumbria

19

Derbyshire

43

Devon and Cornwall

75

Dorset

56

Durham

72

Essex

193

Gloucestershire

62

Greater Manchester

264

Hampshire

23

Hertfordshire

135

Humberside

20

Kent

103

Lancashire

159

Leicestershire

119

Lincolnshire

78

London, City of

14

Merseyside

161

Metropolitan Police

2,053

Norfolk

67

Northamptonshire

38

Northumbria

143

North Yorkshire

69

Nottinghamshire

112

South Yorkshire

125

Staffordshire

62

Suffolk

33

Surrey

102

Sussex

231

Thames Valley

109

Warwickshire

56

West Mercia

86

West Midlands

247

West Yorkshire

433

Wiltshire

38

Dyfed Powys

24

Gwent

81

North Wales

61

South Wales

116

Total 43 Forces

6,324

(1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. These figures include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Convictions

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who reside in (a) Torbay and (b) Devon and Cornwall have been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since it was enacted; and how many dangerous dogs have been destroyed in (i) Torbay and (ii) Devon and Cornwall in each year since 1999. [85512]

Mr. Coaker: The data requested on defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts in Devon and Cornwall police force area for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, for the years 1992-2004, are provided in the following table. It is not possible to identify defendants from Torbay as their individual circumstances are not separately collected and the data is not broken down to that level of detail.

Information on the number of dangerous dogs destroyed is not collected centrally.


25 July 2006 : Column 1321W

25 July 2006 : Column 1322W
Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, Devon and Cornwall Police Force Area, 1992-2004( 1, 2)
Offence description Principal statute 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a)

Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b)

Giving or offering to give a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c)

Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d)

5

—-

Abandoning or allowing to stray a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e)

2

Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3)

2

2

2

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)

5

7

5

7

6

11

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)

7

5

2

7

5

5

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)

1

1

1

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)

2

1

1

Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8)

1

1

1

Total all offences

22

17

14

15

11

16


Offence description Principal statute 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a)

1

Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b)

Giving or offering to give a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c)

Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d)

4

1

Abandoning or allowing to stray a fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e)

1

Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3)

1

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)

15

12

17

19

22

27

17

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)

7

8

8

8

7

8

7

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)

1

2

1

Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)

1

1

Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 4(8)

6

27

16

34

25

19

17

Total all offences

29

52

42

64

56

55

42

(1 )These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Crime Statistics

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported crimes in each London borough resulted in (a) an arrest and (b) a conviction in 2005; and if he will make a statement. [85936]

Mr. McNulty: Data collected centrally do not track individual offences to conclusion. Recorded offences are counted on the basis of crimes committed and are available by London borough. Arrests are counted on the basis of offenders by police force area only and convictions are counted on the basis of offenders by court.

Information on arrests and convictions is not available for 2005. The latest published data can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) robberies and (b)
25 July 2006 : Column 1323W
burglaries were reported in (i) Barnsley and (ii) Doncaster in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in conviction. [87635]

Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in the tables as follows. Recorded crime deals with offences while convictions data is based on offenders. For this reason the two data sets are not directly comparable.

Table 1: Recorded offences of robbery and burglary in Barnsley and Doncaster—2001-2002
Barnsley Doncaster
Robbery Burglary Robbery Burglary

2001-02

135

5,363

300

8,952


Table 2: Recorded offences of burglary and robbery in Barnsley and Doncaster—2002-03 to 2005-06
Barnsley Doncaster
Robbery Burglary Robbery Burglary

2002-03

162

5,380

375

9,962

2003-04

125

4,408

227

7,173

2004-05

76

2,810

200

5,977

2005-06

82

3,056

227

6,210

(1) The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for 2001-02

Table 3: Number of defendants convicted at all courts of Burglary and Robbery as a result of proceedings brought in Barnsley and Doncaster Local Criminal Justice areas, by committing court, 2000-04( 1,2)
Offence / Committing court 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Burglary

Barnsley District

149

128

126

136

157

Doncaster

283

251

270

255

199

Total

432

379

396

391

356

Robbery

Barnsley District

19

20

22

33

24

Doncaster

44

67

55

40

55

Total

63

87

77

73

79

(1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Crown Prosecution Service

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to require the Crown Prosecution Service to contact the families of murder and manslaughter victims prior to a trial. [46419]

The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.

In October 2005, the Attorney-General issued the Prosecutors’ Pledge. The Pledge commits prosecutors to 10 specific areas of service that will be provided to victims, including the families of murder and manslaughter victims and witnesses. These 10 pledges include: commitments to taking into account the impact on the family when making a charging decision; informing the family when a charge is withdrawn,
25 July 2006 : Column 1324W
discontinued or substantially altered and, where practical, seeking the views of the family when considering the acceptability of a defendant’s pleas; encouraging communication between the family and the prosecutor at court; objecting to inappropriate cross-examination that may attack the character of a victim; on conviction challenging defence mitigation which is derogatory to the victim’s character, and explaining to the families the effect of court judgments and the progress of any appeals.

These services will be provided by prosecutors working with the police and assisted by joint police/Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Witness Care Units (WCUs). Day to day contact with the families will ordinarily be undertaken by the police family liaison officer. The role of the WCU in murder and manslaughter cases is to maintain communication between the prosecutor and the family liaison officer so as to ensure that the family is properly informed about the progress of the case and receives appropriate support throughout the criminal justice process.

Curfews

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at (a) Chelmsford, (b) Coldingly, (c) Elmsley and (d) Rochester prison convicted of offences under section 18 of the Offences against the Persons Act 1861 were given home detention curfews in each of the last five years; how many prisoners at each institution were registered for home detention curfews in each year, broken down by grounds for rejection; and how many appeals by prisoners at each institution against rejection of applications for home detention curfews were granted in each year. [50369]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows (i) the number of prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) and (ii) the number of prisoners who were sentenced to three months to less than four years and who had an HDC eligibility date in the periods specified.

The information on the number of prisoners who were sentenced to three months to less than four years and who had an HDC eligibility date in the periods specified, will include prisoners who are not eligible for release under the scheme, either because they are excluded by statute or are presumed unsuitable as a matter of policy. Other prisoners will opt-out of being assessed for release on HDC, or will turned down following risk assessment. As prisoners may move between prisons these figures should be used as broad estimates.

The offences recorded on the central prison IT system do not relate to offences under specific pieces of legislation. The information in the table includes those prisoners recorded with offences of wounding (inflicting GBH) and assault with intent to cause GBH.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so can be used for purposes of looking at the relative magnitude of components.


25 July 2006 : Column 1325W

All figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Information on the reasons for refusal of individual applications, and the outcome of appeals, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners with sentences of three months to less than four years with an HDC eligibility date in the periods specified, and number released on HDC: wounding (inflicting GBH) and assault with intent to cause GBH
Prisoners with sentences of three months to less than four years with an HDC eligibility date in the period Number released on HDC

2001

Chelmsford

15

10

Coldingley

5

5

Elmley

30

15

Rochester

5

5

2002

Chelmsford

5

5

Coldingley

5

Elmley

40

20

Rochester

15

10

2003

Chelmsford

5

5

Coldingley

5

Elmley

10

5

Rochester

30

20

2004

Chelmsford

15

5

Coldingley

Elmley

10

5

Rochester

35

20

2005

Chelmsford

5

Coldingley

5

Elmley

20

5

Rochester

40

20

2006 until end June

Chelmsford

5

Coldingley

Elmley

5

Rochester

15

10

Notes:
‘—’ Indicates nil or less than three.
- nil or less than 3
These statistics are based on information recorded on the central Prison Service IT system at week ending 16 July 2006,
Further updates and amendments may be made to records on this system in future resulting in revised figures.
These figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants at grade 5 or above have been disciplined over failures in the UK immigration system since 1 January; and if he will make a statement. [73891]


25 July 2006 : Column 1326W

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 5 June 2006]: Since January, there has been no disciplinary action against any member of the senior civil service in relation to the work of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

In setting up the Immigration and Nationality Directorate as an Executive agency of the Home Office we will establish stronger accountability arrangements and set demanding targets for performance and delivery.

Dogs

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take the necessary steps to record and publish the number of dogs that (a) go missing and (b) are stolen in each year in England and Wales. [87761]

Mr. McNulty: There are currently no plans to separately identify from the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office the number of dogs stolen. Information on dogs reported missing is not collected by the Home Office.

Engagements

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety last visited Watford in her official capacity. [54058]

John Reid: My right hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Hazel Blears) did not visit Watford in her official capacity as a Home Office Minister.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) public speeches and (b) official visits he has made since 5 May 2005; and how many letters he sent in this period. [55706]

John Reid: I have undertaken 72 public speeches, 19 official visits and sent 1,017 letters since the 5 May 2005. Each speech and visit was conducted in accordance with the ministerial code.

The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/peers correspondence. The report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 137. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House. The report for 2005 will be published in due course

Extradition

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department of which individuals the United States is seeking extradition from the UK on grounds of terrorist affiliation. [87574]

Mr. McNulty: Seven people wanted by the US on charges connected to terrorism are the subject of extradition proceedings. It is not our policy or practice to list the names of those concerned.


25 July 2006 : Column 1327W

Fraud

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what his estimate is of the cost of (a) fraud and (b) fraud excluding large-scale fraud in each of the last three years; [89114]

(2) what his estimate is of the cost of fraud outside (a) the responsibility of the City of London police and (b) London in 2005-06. [89115]

Mr. Coaker: There is no recent reliable estimate of the cost of fraud, although a Home Office commissioned report in 2000 estimated the total economic cost of fraud then to be around £14 billion. The figure six years later is likely to be considerably higher. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has commissioned a study on the nature, extent and economic impact of fraud which will report later this year. The Home Office has actively helped with the tendering process and the terms of reference for the project.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with (a) national banks and (b) the police regarding the prevention of identity fraud. [89123]

Joan Ryan: Work on identity fraud reduction is led by the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) and supported by the Identity Fraud Forum (IFF). The IFSC and IFF include members from the police and the British Bankers' Association, as well as representatives from other sectors. The IFSC and the IFF meet regularly to take forward the Government's work on reducing identity fraud and to co-ordinate this activity across all sectors. A number of sub-groups meet on a regular basis to identify, scope and prioritise opportunities to reduce identity fraud.

In particular, we have established a network of Single Points of Contact in all police forces, as well as in a range of Government Departments and agencies, for dealing with identity fraud investigations and prosecutions. Also, a number of banks have produced co-branded versions of the Home Office identity theft leaflet for their customers. The leaflet explains how to keep personal information safe, how to get help if one is the victim of identity fraud and what is being done to combat the problem.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity thefts were reported in each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in a conviction. [88667]

Joan Ryan: The Government take the problem of identity fraud very seriously. There is no single offence of either identity theft or identity fraud. On 7 June 2006 we brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which created new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document
25 July 2006 : Column 1328W
for establishing registrable facts about another person, such as name, address, date of birth and other personal details, and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse. Investigation of offences under these provisions is already underway and statistics on the number of prosecutions and convictions will be published in due course.

There is also a range of other criminal offences to combat identity fraud. These include, for example, the offences in the Theft Acts of 1968 and 1978 of obtaining property by deception (property includes money), obtaining services by deception and obtaining a money transfer by deception. The number of these offences that were committed using a false or stolen identity is not recorded centrally and it is not possible to provide figures for London boroughs or any other area. However, identity theft and identity fraud questions were incorporated into the British Crime Survey in 2005 and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed.

Gun Crime

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) West of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 66W, on gun crime, why the requested data is not in a form suitable for publication. [87680]

Mr. McNulty: From 1986 to 1996-97 firearm offences data collected centrally did not include reference to whether weapons were held legally or illegally. Attempts were made between 1997-98 and 2003-04 to collect these data, but there were concerns over their quality. There is a difficulty for the police being able to identify whether a firearm used in an offence was legally or illegally held, particularly if that firearm was not retrieved. As a result the data for this period were not published. Because of these concerns, and following consultation with police force representatives, the data ceased to be collected centrally from one April 2004.

Human Trafficking

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a specific department within the Serious Organised Crime Agency that deals with combating human trafficking. [82697]

Mr. McNulty: One of top priorities for the Serious Organised Crime Agency is the combating of organised immigration crime, which includes human trafficking. The responsibility for this work is shared by a number of different departments within the Agency.

Illegal Drugs

Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by law enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal drugs in the last three years. [87679]


25 July 2006 : Column 1329W

Mr. Coaker: The Government made available £380 million of direct annual expenditure for drug supply reduction activity in each of the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. These figures represent expenditure by agencies with the Concerted Inter-Agency Drug Action Group (CIDA) including National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service and HM Revenue and Customs. It does not include any expenditure of the Police Grant in policing local drug markets.

Illegal Imports (Animal Products)

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were brought in each of the last six years for illegally importing products of animal origin into the UK; and how many resulted in a custodial sentence. [85617]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have had responsibility for -anti smuggling controls on products of animal origin since 11 April 2003.

The number of prosecutions taken forward by HMRC for products of animal origin (POAO) illegal imports offences, is set out in the following table:

April to March Number of prosecutions

2003-04

0

2004-05

7

2005-06

2


All prosecutions were successful.

Of these nine prosecutions, one conviction (in June 2005) resulted in the imposition of a 28-day custodial sentence. The most recent prosecution led to a fine and the individual found guilty was deported.

Details of prosecutions taken by local authorities, specifically for offences relating to illegal imports meat into the UK, are not held centrally.

Immigration Cases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last 12 months (a) he has and (b) Ministers in his Department have declined a request to meet hon. Members to discuss immigration cases. [67700]

John Reid [holding answer 3 May 2006]: The information is not available in the form requested.

Juvenile Deaths (Police Establishments)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public inquiries have taken place in the last 30 years into the deaths of children in police establishments. [86233]

Mr. McNulty: To the best of our knowledge there have been no public inquiries regarding deaths of children in police establishments over the last 30 years.


25 July 2006 : Column 1330W

Knives

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asaults with knives were recorded in England and Wales in each of the last five years, broken down by length of blade. [88573]

Mr. McNulty: From the information collected on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify those offences which are knife related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime statistics.

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans (a) to extend the knife amnesty and (b) to introduce a permanent knife amnesty. [87968]

Mr. Coaker: There are no plans to extend the knife amnesty or to bring in a permanent knife amnesty. It is open to police forces to run local amnesties where they consider this to be appropriate.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has met (a) Sir Christopher Evans and (b) representatives of Merlin Biosciences Ltd. in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [61766]

John Reid: The Home Secretary has not met with either Sir Christopher Evans or representatives of Merlin Biosciences Ltd. in the past 12 months.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which probation centres Ministers in his Department have visited in each year since 1997; and for what purposes. [63059]

John Reid: This information can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Motoring Offences

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 10 most common motoring offences were for which women were (a) prosecuted, (b) convicted, (c) fined and (d) sent to prison in (i) Essex, (ii) Hertfordshire, (iii) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (iv) England and Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by age group. [78832]

Mr. Coaker: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the 10 most common motoring offences for which women were (a) prosecuted, (b) convicted, (c) fined and (d) sent to prison within Essex, Hertfordshire, the Metropolitan police force areas and England and Wales from 2002 to 2004 (latest available) is given in the following tables.

Data for 2005 will be available early in 2007.


25 July 2006 : Column 1331W

25 July 2006 : Column 1332W
10 most common motoring offences for which women aged 21 and over were prosecuted, found guilty, fined and given a custodial sentence, England and Wales, 2004
Rounded
Offence description Total proceedings

Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks

36,400

Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty

33,500

Vehicle test offences

31,200

Speed limit offences

30,500

Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence

26,600

Other miscellaneous motoring offences

20,500

Other insurance offences (excluding fraud and forgery)

12,000

Failing to produce driving licence

8,700

Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit

8,500

Other vehicle registration offences (excluding forgery and deception)

6,600


Rounded
Total findings of guilt

Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks

30,800

Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty

28,200

Speed limit offences

25,600

Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence

17,600

Vehicle test offences

16,900

Other miscellaneous motoring offences

12,500

Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit

8,400

Other vehicle registration offences (excluding forgery and deception)

4,700

Driving without due care and attention

4,200

Dangerous driving

3,700


Rounded
Total fined

Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty

27,600

Speed limit offences

25,400

Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks

20,500

Other miscellaneous motoring offences

11,400

Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence

8,900

Vehicle test offences

7,300

Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit

6,200

Other vehicle registration offences (excluding forgery and deception)

4,400

Driving without due care and attention

3,400

Other obstruction, waiting and parking offences

1,900


Rounded
Total immediate custody

Driving while disqualified

700

Dangerous driving

400

Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit

200

Causing injury and damage by aggravated vehicle taking

70

Causing death by dangerous driving

60

Unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle etc

50

Unfit to drive through drink and drugs (impairment)

30

Driving and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine)

20

Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs

20

Failing to stop after accident, etc.

10

Notes: 1. A person appearing in court can be dealt with for more than one offence at that appearance. The tables show the number of offences dealt with and not the number of persons appearing in court. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

25 July 2006 : Column 1333W

Neighbourhood Watch

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes are in operation; and if he will make a statement. [88646]

Mr. McNulty: Neighbourhood Watch groups are not required to register with the Home Office and therefore we do not have information on exactly how many schemes exist. However, Neighbourhood Watch schemes requiring public liability insurance cover funded by the Home Office need to register with the insurance provider, and the most recent figure for the number of schemes registered is 137,238 (as of 1 July 2006). Information on the number of schemes existing that have not registered for PLI is not collected.

News of the World

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has held with representatives of the News of the World in the last four weeks. [79809]

John Reid: The Minister has meetings with the media from time to time and this has included discussions with the News of the World.

Offenders (Licensed Release)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders on licence given permission to travel abroad in the last 12 months have (a) returned late, (b) absconded and been re-arrested and (c) absconded and not been recaptured, broken down by the type of offence for which they were convicted. [79596]


25 July 2006 : Column 1334W

John Reid: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, revised arrangements are being put in place in relation to life sentenced prisoners which require the notification centrally of any trip abroad that is due to take place and any trip which has been undertaken. This requirement forms part of a recent update to the Lifer Manual which shortly will be communicated formally to probation areas via a probation circular.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will answer questions (a) 44633 on the Probation Service, (b) 50812 on Cumbria Police Authority and (c) 64424 on crime in Cumbria, tabled by the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale. [75140]

Mr. McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member as follows:

    (b) question 44633—5 June 2006, Official Report, column 297W; and

    (c) question 64424—30 June 2006, Official Report, column 874W.

My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Sutcliffe) replied to (a) question 50812 on 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 883W.

Police

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations have closed in (a) Devon, (b) Cornwall, (c) Somerset and (d) Dorset in each of the last five years. [76251]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 12 June 2006]: Information provided by the respective police forces is set out in the following table.

Number of police stations opened and closed since 2002
Devon and Cornwall Avon and Somerset Dorset
Year (as at 31 March) Open Closed Total Open Closed Total Open Closed Total

2002

(1)

(1)

61

2

0

43

3

2

23

2003

0

0

61

1

1

43

0

1

22

2004

0

0

61

0

0

43

2

1

23

2005

3

3

61

1

1

43

2

1

24

2006

0

0

61

0

1

42

0

1

23

(1) Data not available.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his assessment is of the costs and benefits of (a) no change, (b) a federated structure, (c) a single strategic force and (d) other strategic co-working arrangements for police force restructuring in Wales. [82367]

Mr. McNulty: The business case for the amalgamation of the four Welsh police forces, which was sent to Welsh police forces and police authorities with the then Home Secretary's notice of intention to merge on 3 March 2006, contained details of all the options that had been considered and HMIC's assessment of them.

The notice of intention to merge was withdrawn on 13 July.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future use of (a) Willesden Green and (b) Harlesden police station. [87490]

Mr. McNulty: Questions about the use of the Metropolitan police estate are for the Metropolitan Police Authority and for the Commissioner. However I am informed by the Metropolitan police that these stations are considered to be beyond their viable lives and may be considered for disposal. MPS have confirmed that no Metropolitan police station will
25 July 2006 : Column 1335W
close unless a suitable replacement in the general location has been provided. Full local consultation will take place. The long-term accommodation strategy for the Brent area includes enhanced custody centre facilities, a patrol base and safer neighbourhood bases.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults per head of population there were on (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers in each constabulary in 2005-06. [88963]

Mr. McNulty: Assaults on police community support officers are not recorded separately by the Home Office. They are recorded under the more general category of common assault if no injury results. If injury is involved they are recorded under the appropriate section of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Statistics of assaults on a constable by police force area for 2005-06 are given in the table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1336W
Recorded offences of assault on a constable per 100,000 population by police force area—2005-06
Police force area Assault on a constable per 100,000 population

Avon and Somerset

56

Bedfordshire

50

Cambridgeshire

58

Cheshire

36

Cleveland

52

Cumbria

44

Derbyshire

13

Devon and Cornwall

20

Dorset

42

Durham

51

Dyfed-Powys

42

Essex

41

Gloucestershire

52

Greater Manchester

45

Gwent

43

Hampshire

51

Hertfordshire

60

Humberside

50

Kent

44

Lancashire

53

Leicestershire

49

Lincolnshire

29

London, City of

Merseyside

50

Metropolitan Police(1)

41

Norfolk

49

Northamptonshire

42

Northumbria

44

North Wales

28

North Yorkshire

55

Nottinghamshire

31

South Wales

40

South Yorkshire

33

Staffordshire

60

Suffolk

48

Surrey

45

Sussex

52

Thames Valley

41

Warwickshire

49

West Mercia

25

West Midlands

13

West Yorkshire

39

Wiltshire

22

Total

41

(1 )Includes City of London

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Point of Order on 12 July 2006, Official Report, column 1393, on police force mergers, if he will clarify the implications for the proposed abolition of West Mercia Constabulary and the creation of a regional West Midlands force. [85899]

Mr. McNulty: My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, made it clear in the House on 19 June and again on 12 July that he did not intend to proceed with enforced police force mergers. The notice of intention to merge which was issued to West Mercia by the then Home Secretary on 3 March has been withdrawn.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what undertakings he has given to chief constables and police authorities on central Government funding for police force amalgamations. [74594]

John Reid: The Government gave undertakings to meet 100 per cent. of reasonable set up revenue and capital costs of restructuring, net of reasonable savings.

As I said on 19 June, I do not, however, intend to proceed with enforced amalgamations. We will work with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities, as well as HMIC, to improve protective services, preserve neighbourhood policing and increase efficiencies through use of shared services.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) street wardens there were in Hackney and Stoke Newington in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [85291]

Mr. McNulty: Information on police officers is not collected at constituency level.

Information has been collected centrally by Operational Command Unit since March 2003. The most recent figures are as at 31 March 2005, showing that Hackney had 789 full-time equivalent police officers. The deployment of police officers to OCUs and other specialist units in the Metropolitan Police is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis.

The Department for Communities and Local Government have collected information on street wardens sine 2001, and state that there are currently 30 wardens operating in Hackney.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) resignations and (b) retirements of police officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary there have been in each year since 1997. [85993]


25 July 2006 : Column 1337W

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is given in the following table.

Full-time equivalent( 1) Police Officer resignations and retirements in Cambridgeshire (1997-2005)
As at 31 March: Voluntary resignations( 2) Retirements( 3)

1997

9

50

1998

8

48

1999

16

46

2000

11

38

2001

22

43

2002

23

44

2003

22

34

2004

23

40

2005

34

45

(1 )Prior to 2003, FTE figures excluded those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. These figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
(2) Voluntary resignations does not include those who are dismissed and required to resign.
(3) Retirements includes normal retirements and medical retirements.

Prison Service Accounts

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum amount deposited (a) in each prison establishment and (b) by foreign national inmates is in prison service accounts; and if he will make a statement. [87803]

Mr. Sutcliffe: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prison/Court Escort Service

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on prison and court escort services in each of the last five years. [85398]

John Reid: Details of expenditure on inter-prison transfer and court escort services are set out in the following table:

Cost (£ million)

2001-02

105.1

2002-03

111.1

2003-04

116.1

2004-05

126.5

2005-06

140.7


Prisons

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list prisons he has visited since he took up his post; and if he will make a statement. [32677]

John Reid: The Home Secretary visited Wandsworth prison on 28 June 2006. His predecessor visited Brixton prison on 22 November 2005.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have absconded from each open prison in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many abscondees from each prison were foreign nationals. [85127]


25 July 2006 : Column 1338W

John Reid: There have been 4,307 absconds from open prisons in England and Wales since one April 2001. A break down by establishment is given in the following table by financial year. Information on the number of abscondees who were foreign nationals could be obtained only by examination of individual records at a disproportionate cost.

Prisoners who have absconded from open prisons in England and Wales 2001-02 to 2005-06
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

North Sea Camp

36

34

79

33

49

Sudbury

81

68

75

77

76

Hollesley Bay

8

14

36

32

16

Askham Grange

19

12

31

12

14

East Sutton Park

3

1

2

4

Morton Hall

Ford

57

91

142

110

96

Stanford Hill

37

83

89

39

58

Kirkham

163

208

213

120

74

Thorn Cross

135

152

130

90

105

Leyhill

19

33

114

102

66

Spring Hill

12

23

60

36

34

Prescoed

5

8

35

19

9

Hewell Grange

8

14

36

32

24

Moorland

68

73

49

Wealstun

79

101

144

74

28

Total

662

841

1,253

851

702


Racially Aggravated Crimes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded (a) perpetrators and (b) victims of racially aggravated crimes there were in the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by ethnic origin. [77412]

Mr. McNulty: The available information relates to the number of offences recorded as racially aggravated and the number convicted or cautioned for these offences.

The number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2004-05 was 37,028. This collection does not identify the ethnicity of the victims or offenders.

The Home Office Court Proceedings database contains information on the number of persons convicted and cautioned at courts for racially aggravated offences. In 2004, 897 persons were cautioned and 6,379 persons prosecuted for racially aggravated offences in England and Wales. Of those prosecuted, 3,512 persons were convicted at courts for such offences. Information on ethnicity of defendants is not available.

Relocation Support

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what government (a) grants and (b) other initiatives are available for inner city London boroughs to encourage relocation of residents (i) outside London and (ii) in Essex. [71211]


25 July 2006 : Column 1339W

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.

The Government do not make specific grants to London boroughs for relocation schemes. Support for relocation services is made via the Housing and Employment Mobility Services (private sector) contract which facilitates relocation out of London via a scheme known as LAWN.

Security Industry

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent performance statistics are of the (a) Security Industry Authority for the issuing of licences for door supervisors and (b) Criminal Records Bureau on the vetting procedure for door supervisors. [82748]

John Reid: The information is as follows:

    (a) As at 14 July 2006, 47,597 door supervisor licences have been issued by the Security Industry Authority.

    (b) Specific performance statistics for the vetting of door supervisors are not available. Door supervisors are eligible for the Standard Disclosure check provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The most recent performance figures show that in June 98.6 per cent of applications for Standard Disclosure were processed by the CRB within its Public Service Standard.

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of persons engaged in the security industry (a) requiring a licence and (b) in receipt of a licence. [62304]

Mr. Coaker: The Security Industry Authority’s most recent estimate is that about 183,000 individuals require a licence to work in the private security industry. As at 5 July, the SIA had accepted 162,452 complete applications, granted 119,653 licences, and refused 4,231. The remaining 38,568 applications were in the SIA’s processing system. There are also 213 companies with Approved Contractor Status that are able to legally deploy a proportion of their staff while their licence applications are being processed, who are between them legally deploying about 15,000 staff.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Security Industry Authority will process the application for a door supervisor's licence submitted by Mark Fleet-Chapman on 5 January. [87509]

Mr. Coaker: I will write to my hon. Friend on this matter.

Sexual Offences

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial support his Department provided for the National Organisation for Rape Crisis and Sex Abuse Victims in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [86338]

Mr. Coaker: The Home Office core-funded the Rape Crisis Federation from April 2001 until it closed in November 2003 due to internal issues: £406,000 in
25 July 2006 : Column 1340W
2001-02; £432,000 in 2002-03; and £209,800 in 2003-04.

The Rape Crisis Co-ordination Group has received grants totalling £79,000 from the Victims Fund since 2004: £18,200 in 2004-05; £30,800 in 2005-06; and £30,000 in 2006-07. The Victims Fund has also awarded grants to a number of local Rape Crisis organisations.

Special Advisers

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of his Department. [80655]

Mr. McNulty: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the code of conduct for special advisers.

Terrorism Act

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2003 and subsequently charged with a non-terrorism related offence. [86721]

Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not collate the information on charges in the specific format requested. Statistics compiled from police records show that between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2006, 997 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). Of these, 175 people were charged with offences under legislation other than TACT.

However, it must be pointed out that a charge under other legislation is not necessarily a non terrorist related charge because not all offences with which suspected terrorists may be charged are necessarily contained in the Terrorism Act. Many are charged with offences under the general criminal law, for example, murder. Other offences such as those involved in the use of firearms and explosives are contained in the legislation dealing with those matters.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2003; and how many were held for the full 14 days. [86811]

Mr. McNulty: Statistics compiled from police records show that between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2006, 997 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). The maximum period of detention pre-charge was extended to 14 days with effect from 20 January 2004. Our records show that from 20 January 2004 to 31 March 2006, which are the most recent statistics available, 14 people have been held for 13-14 days.

Violent Crime

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) gun and (b) knife-related crimes there were in Brent in each year since 1997. [87491]


25 July 2006 : Column 1341W

Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally. Statistics on offences involving firearms are only collected at police force area level. With the exception of homicides, offences involving knives cannot be identified in the recorded crime statistics.

Treasury

32 (The Royal) Squadron

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer(1) why 32 (The Royal) Squadron made two return flights to Brussels on 21 January 2003 on his behalf; and if he will make a statement; [66147]

(2) in respect of which official duties he used 32 (The Royal) Squadron for flights (a) on 23 May 2003 and (b) in the first week of April 2002; what the approximate take-off and landing times were of each flight; whether the carbon emissions were offset in respect of each flight; what other transport options were considered on each occasion; why other transport options were not used; and if he will make a statement. [66162]

John Healey: The rules on the use of special flights are set out in “Travel by Ministers”. The annual lists of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500 set out when special flights are used, and the purpose of each trip. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Carbon dioxide emissions arising from 32 Squadron flights are included in the Government’s carbon offsetting commitment. Carbon emissions arising from the use of these flights will be recorded and offset in the same way as the use of scheduled flights by all Departments from April 2006

The Chancellor of the Exchequer travelled by The Royal Squadron on 21 January 2003 to attend a meeting of ECOFIN in Brussels. The squadron returned to England to re crew during the visit.

Agency Staff

Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average hourly rate was paid by his Department to each employment agency for staff employed through agencies in 2005-06. [81489]

John Healey: Information relating to payments made to individual employment agencies is commercially confidential. The average hourly rate, averaged across all employment agencies used by the Treasury in 2005-06, was £25.67.

Alcohol Excise Duty

Mr. Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his policy to veto proposals from the Finnish EU presidency to raise EU minimum excise duty rates on alcohol. [83830]


25 July 2006 : Column 1342W

John Healey [holding answer 10 July 2006]: To date the European Commission has not published a proposal on EU alcohol duty rates under the Finnish EU presidency. It is not the Government’s policy to comment on specific proposals before they have been published.

Art (Downing Street)

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 most valuable pieces of publicly owned art in 11 Downing street are. [87581]

John Healey: The 10 most valuable pieces of art held in the official areas for which HM Treasury is responsible for, at 11 Downing street are:

£

Bookcase, a George IV mahogany breakfront bookcase

40,000.00

Table, demi-lune console George III carved giltwood (circa 1780)

25,000.00

Clock, mahogany longcase, a fine George III

25,000.00

Tables, side carved giltwood a George I style

12,000.00

Tables, carved giltwood George I style side table x 2

(1)17,500.00

Cabinets, Japanese lacquered 18th century cabinet x 2

(1)17,500.00

Table, a Victorian mahogany dining table

7,000.00

Mirror, carved giltwood George I period

4,000.00

(1) Total value.

Average Incomes (Brent, East)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average income in (a) Brent and (b) Brent East in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) sex, (ii) age and (iii) ethnicity. [87425]

Dawn Primarolo: Available information on HM Revenue Customs' website for taxpayers at a national level broken down by gender and age, can be found in table 3.2 "Distribution of median and mean income by age range and gender".

Information on mean incomes at borough, district and unitary authority level and constituency level can be found in tables 3.14 "Income by borough and district or unitary authority " and 3.15 "Income by parliamentary constituency". http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income distribution/menu-by-year.htm - 31

HM Revenue and Customs does not hold data regarding the ethnicity of taxpayers and therefore breakdowns by ethnicity are not available.

Background Reading

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement. [87593]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers read a wide range of publications in connection with their official duties.


25 July 2006 : Column 1343W

Barker Review

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost has been of the Barker Review, separately identifying the cost of (a) consultants and (b) civil servants working on the review; and what Ms Barker’s fees are for the work. [88218]

John Healey: The Barker Review of Land Use Planning is funded through existing Department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury budgets. It is due for completion later this year so the final costings of the review are not currently available. To date the review has spent approximately £8,700 on outside experts. The Bank of England is compensated for Ms Barker’s time.

BBC

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the BBC received as a VAT rebate under section 33 of the VAT Act in each of the last five financial years. [87388]

Dawn Primarolo: Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 does not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose information relating to the tax affairs of individual taxpayers.

Betting

Mr. Moss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the tax taken from betting on sport in the UK in each of the last five years. [87236]

John Healey: Tax receipts from betting are not broken down according to the nature of a bet. Revenues from gambling taxes are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbett.

Biodiversity

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the extent to which public bodies which report to him comply, from October, with their duty to conserve biodiversity in exercising their functions, under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. [74394]

John Healey: Under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, all public bodies have a duty to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity in the exercising of their functions. There is no statutory obligation on Departments to monitor the extent to which public bodies comply with this duty. However, we understand DEFRA is working with a wide range of partners to develop guidance for public bodies to support the implementation of this duty and will involve all relevant Departments on the development of guidance.


25 July 2006 : Column 1344W

Carbon Emissions

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to induce local and central government to cooperate to encourage dissemination of best practice and innovation on reducing emissions by the public sector. [87454]

John Healey: Budget 2006 announced a seminar to be held at HM Treasury later this year to bring together central and local government to encourage the further dissemination of best practice and innovation to reduce emissions in the public sector. The purpose of this was to encourage and motivate more local authorities to reduce their carbon emissions. Since the announcement, Treasury officials have worked closely with other Departments to plan the event, which will be held during the autumn.

Child Benefits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the fraud and error rate in (a) percentage terms and (b) cash terms for (i) child benefit and (ii) the child trust fund; and if he will make a statement. [81631]

Dawn Primarolo: It is estimated that in 2005-06 the rate of fraud on child benefit is around 0.1 per cent. or around £10 million in cash terms and the estimated rate of error is around 0.03 per cent. or £3 million in cash terms.

For the child trust fund, the issue of the initial voucher is dependent on a successful child benefit application. The low rate of error and fraud in child benefit suggests a low rate of error and fraud in the child trust fund.

Computing Equipment

Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computer hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in his Department in each month since March 2005. [88753]

John Healey: The information is as follows.


25 July 2006 : Column 1345W
Laptop computers External computer hard drives Desktop computers

2005

April

8

May

2

30

June

5

July

3

August

15

30

September

3

October

3

100

November

13

December

9

2006

January

14

February

3

1

100

March

27

140

April

8

May

1

June

2

Notes:
1. No internal computer hard drives have been purchased since March 2005.
2. The numbers given for USB. Compact discs and DVD discs are not held in the form requested.

Condoms

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to encourage retailers to pass the VAT reduction on condoms on to consumers; and if he will make a statement. [88585]

Dawn Primarolo: The VAT reduction for contraceptive products, which took effect from 1 July, is designed to allow wider access to these products where appropriate, consistent with the Government's sexual health policies. The Government therefore expects all retailers to promote access by passing the VAT reduction on within the retail prices charged to consumers. As a result of the VAT reduction, retailers might typically reduce the retail price of a packet of three condoms by around 30 pence.

Prior to implementation of the VAT reduction, the Department of Health commissioned a survey of major retailers, which found that the vast majority of those surveyed planned to cut retail prices by the full 12.5 per cent. reduction in VAT either on 1 July or shortly thereafter, and some had already reduced prices in anticipation of the VAT change. The Department of Health will continue to monitor the impact of the VAT reduction on retail prices.

Criminal Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many criminal offences his Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997. [88466]

John Healey: Since 1997, HM Treasury as lead Department has created the following offences in Orders in Council which are still in force:

The Sudan (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1454)

    Articles 4(2), 5(2), 7, 9(6), 9(7) and 11 and paragraphs 2(3) and 4(a) to (d) of the Schedule.

The Lebanon and Syria (United Nations Measures) Order 2005 (S.I.2005/3432)

    Articles 4(2), 5(2), 7, 9(6), 9(7) and 11(4) and paragraphs 2(3) and 4(a) to (d) of the Schedule.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (United Nations Measures) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/1511)

    Articles 3(1), 4(9) and (10), 5, 6(1 )(a) to (c) and (2) and 7(3) and paragraph 3(a) to (d) of the Schedule.


25 July 2006 : Column 1346W

The Ivory Coast (United Nations Sanctions) Order 7005 (S.I. 2005/253)

    Articles 3(1), 4(9) and (10), 5, 6(1) and (2), 7(1)(a) and (b) and 9(6) and paragraph 3(a) to (d) of the Schedule.

The Iraq (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1498)

    Articles 5(6) and (8) and 6(3)

The Iraq (United Nations Sanctions) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/1519)

    Articles 5(1) (a) to (c), 7(3), 8(2) and (3), 11, 12(1) and (2), 13(2) and (3), 17(3)(a) to (c), 20(6), paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 and paragraph 5(a) to (d) of Schedule 3.

The Iraq (United Nations Sanctions) Order 2000 (S I. 2000/3241)

    Articles 3(1), 3A(1), 4A(10), 5(4), 5A(7), 6, 7, 8(1)(a) to (c), 9(7)(a) to (c), 10(2) and 11(4).

In this period, HM Treasury as lead Department has created other offences in Orders in Council that are no longer in force. It is not possible to list these without incurring disproportionate cost.

Customs Officers (Holyhead)

Mr. David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers are stationed permanently at the port of Holyhead. [88325]

Dawn Primarolo: Information on staff by location cannot be disclosed, as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs’ controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts were awarded by his Department to Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 1997; what the (a) value and (b) duration of each such contract was; and if he will make a statement. [88180]

John Healey: Bird and Bird is one of the law firms participating in the L-Cat framework agreements established by the Office of Government Commerce, the Department for Education and Skills and the Treasury Solicitor’s Department to facilitate the procurement of quality legal services for government and achieve better value for money.

In the period since 2002-03, the Treasury has had one contract with Bird and Bird, which was in April 2002 with a total value of £1,151.03. Information on contracts, prior to 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system during that year.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expenditure of his Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals was in each year since 1999. [83490]


25 July 2006 : Column 1347W

John Healey: The Treasury's expenditure on newspapers and periodicals since 2002-03 is as follows. Information for years prior to 2002-03 could be provided at disproportionate cost only due to a change of accounting system in that year.

£000

2002-03

155

2003-04

143

2004-05

120

2005-06

130


Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conferences have been funded in whole or part by his Department in the last 12 months; how many attendees there were at each; and what the cost of the conference was to the Department. [83500]

John Healey: The details of conferences with 100 or more attendees funded by the Treasury in the past 12 months are as follows.

Title of conference Number of attendees Cost (£000)

December 2005

Advancing Enterprise

390

77

May 2006

Launch of the Third Sector Review

135

8

December 2005

Promoting Economic Growth in the West Bank and Gaza through the Private Sector

170

86

May 2006

Special Investigations Group of government financial investigators

100

1

June-July 2006

Third Sector Review Regional consultation events (6 events so far)

615

59


Departmental Report

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what calculations underlie paragraph 3.11 of the Treasury's Departmental Report 2006. [88097]

John Healey: The Treasury’s methodology of calculating trend productivity growth is set out in Table B2 of Budget 2006 (HC 968).

Departmental Staff

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed by (a) HM Treasury, (b) the Royal Mint, (c) National Savings and Investments, (d) the Government Actuaries Department, (e) the Debt Management Office, (f) the Office for National Statistics, (g) OGC Buying Solutions, (h) HM Revenue and Customs and (i) the Valuations Agency in each of the last 12 months for which data is available; and how many and what percentage of posts were vacant in each region in each month. [51171]

John Healey: Civil service statistics are available in the Library and at the following address on the Cabinet Office Statistics Website http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/index.asp


25 July 2006 : Column 1348W

Vacancy information is not held centrally for HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs and to collate this information would be at disproportionate costs.

Vacancy figures for The Royal Mint
Vacancies Percentage vacancies (versus establishment)

2005

February

2

0.26

March

10

1.29

April

I

0.13

May

5

0.65

June

6

0.78

July

II

1.42

August

6

0.78

September

12

1.56

October

7

0.91

November

0

0.00

December

1

0.13

2006

January

1

0.13

Note:
The Royal Mint is based in Wales.

Vacancy figures for the Debt Management Office
Quarterly figures Vacancies Percentage vacancies (versus establishment)

1 April 2005

12

16

30 June 2005

12

16.5

30 September 2005

12

16

31 December 2005

12

17

Notes:
1. The average vacancy rate for each quarter compared to the DMO's Agreed Establishment was approximately 12 FTEs.
2. The Debt Management Offices are based in London.

Vacancy figures for Office of National Statistics
Average number of posts vacant Percentage of posts vacant

London

6.8

1

Newport, South Wales

5.7

<1

Titchfield, Hampshire

11.8

1

Southport

0.3

<1

Social survey interviewers

65

6



25 July 2006 : Column 1349W
Vacancy figures for OGC Buying Solutions
Percentage vacancies (versus establishment)
Total vacancies North West Eastern London

2006

January

11

5.96

8.89

0

2005

December

15

6.62

5.56

0

November

17

7.94

5.56

0

October

18

8.61

5.56

0

September

23

9.27

10

0

August

27

9.93

13.3

0

July

31

11.92

14.4

0

June

26

9.27

13.3

0

May

27

9.93

13.3

0

April

18

5.96

10

0

March

18

5.96

10

0

February

20

7.28

10

0

January

17

5.96

8.89

0

Note: These are based on an average number of posts in each region over this time period. The total number of vacancies for any given month includes both new vacancies and those that are on-going.

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints of racial abuse have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in his Department in each of the last five years. [70554]


25 July 2006 : Column 1350W

John Healey: The Treasury has well published policies on unacceptable behaviour including racial abuse, which make it clear that such behaviour is a disciplinary offence.

The procedures for investigating complaints of racial abuse have been initiated less than five times in each of the last five years. Numbers are therefore not available on the grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available. [79073]

John Healey: The annual costs for the period 2005-06 for each website for which the Treasury and its agencies are responsible are as follows:


25 July 2006 : Column 1351W

25 July 2006 : Column 1352W
Department/agency Website address Direct costs (£)

HM Treasury

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

100,355

HM Treasury Invest to Save Budget website

www.isb.gov.uk

10,575

HM Treasury campaign sites

www.euro.gov.uk

18,997

www.ges.gov.uk

www.wga.gov.uk

www.csren.gov.uk

www.opg.gov.uk

www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk

www.financial-reporting.gov.uk

www.stakeholdersaving.gov.uk

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs

www.hmrc.gov.uk

(1)934,078

www.taxevasionhotline.co.uk

(1)4,800

www.ctfhelp.com

(1)3,288

www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk

(2)

Debt Management Office

www.dmo.gov.uk

(1)35,718

www.crnd.gov.uk

www.pwlb.gov.uk

OGC

www.ogc.gov.uk

(1)92,850

OGC buying solutions

www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk

(1)136,300

www.sustainablesolutions.gov.uk

www.s-cat.gov.uk

Government Actuaries Department

www.gad.gov.uk

(1)2,115

Valuation Office Agency

www.voa.gov.uk

(3)351,001

www.mybusinessrates.gov.uk

4,100

National Savings and Investments

www.nsandi.com

(1)1,392,882

Royal Mint

www.royalmint.com

(1)78,789

www.royalmint.gov.uk

www.royalmintwholesale.com

Office for National Statistics

www.statistics.gov.uk

(1)1,800,000

www.statistics.gov.uk/PBC

www.statistics.gov.uk/about

www.stats4schools.gov.uk

www.gro.gov.uk

www.cip.gov.uk

www.eustatistics.gov.uk

www.ness.gov.uk

( 1 )Indicates that staff costs are included.
( 2 )Costs included in main site.
( 3 )Plus VAT.
Notes:
1. These figures include all direct costs, for example web hosting, software support, infrastructure. We have not been able to include indirect costs, such as office accommodation, without incurring excessive research costs.
2. Staff costs (including figures for salary, pension, superannuation and overtime) have not been included in every instance due to excessive cost for research.
3. HM Treasury is committed to the Transformational Government Strategy which sets out plans to rationalise governmental web presence and limit the number web addresses for each Department. We are currently reviewing all Treasury websites, and Treasury agency sites to minimise the number currently registered.
4. Costs of hosting the HMRC site are significantly higher than most Government websites because of the high visitor rate. Since merger, the site has had 294.1 million page visits and 30.4 million unique visitors.

Disabled People

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Government procurement policy in promoting good practice regarding equal opportunities for disabled people; [88887]

(2) what account Government procurement takes of suppliers' employment conditions in relation to disabled workers; and if he will make a statement. [88890]

John Healey: All public procurement decisions should be based on value for money and be conducted in line with the EU procurement rules. Within this framework, there is scope to take account of other factors, such as those related to disability equality, where they are relevant to the subject of the contract. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) offers advice and guidance to Departments on the scope to take account of such factors in the procurement process. However, Departments are responsible for their own procurement decisions, in line with the legal and policy framework outlined above, the obligations of the new duty to promote disability equality, which are set out in a Code of Practice, and their own objectives.

Public procurement law includes a provision enabling contracting authorities to reserve contracts for supported businesses and factories employing more than 50 per cent. disabled people.

Drug Deaths

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many deaths of people aged (a) under and (b) over 18 years in 2005 in (i) London and (ii) each London borough the use of (A) heroin/morphine, (B) ecstasy, (C) amphetamines, (D) other substances and (E) alcohol was recorded as the cause. [88961]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for how many deaths of people (a) under and (b) over 18 years in 2005 in (i) London and (ii) each London borough the use of (A) heroin/morphine, (B) ecstasy, (C) amphetamines, (D) other substances and (E) alcohol was recorded as the cause. I am replying in her absence. (88961)

    Information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on drug-related poisonings is extracted from a special database of these deaths. This database does not yet include deaths for 2005. Figures for 1997-2003 were provided in response to your similar question in October 2005.

    Alcohol-related deaths for 2005 are available and figures for London and London boroughs are included in the table below. There were no alcohol-related deaths of people aged under 18.

    Alcohol-related deaths were selected using the ONS definition of these deaths which is based on those causes most closely related to alcohol consumption. This definition has recently been revised and details of the changes are available via the National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1091


25 July 2006 : Column 1353W
Alcohol-related deaths( 1 ) by London borough( 2) , age 18 and over, 2005( 3)
London borough Number

City of London

1

Barking and Dagenham

15

Barnet

21

Bexley

21

Brent

34

Bromley

40

Camden

25

Croydon

35

Ealing

35

Enfield

18

Greenwich

24

Hackney

20

Hammersmith and Fulham

28

Haringey

33

Harrow

14

Havering

14

Hillingdon

23

Hounslow

22

Islington

15

Kensington and Chelsea

13

Kingston upon Thames

16

Lambeth

33

Lewisham

27

Merton

10

Newham

22

Redbridge

24

Richmond upon Thames

20

Southwark

28

Sutton

21

Tower Hamlets

20

Waltham Forest

19

Wandsworth

19

Westminster

34

London

744

(1) Deaths were selected using the original underlying cause of death.
The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10).
The codes used to select alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol—ICD-10 F10
Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol—ICD-10 G31.2
Alcoholic polyneuropathy—ICD-10 G62.1
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy—ICD-10 I42.6
Alcoholic gastritis—ICD-10 K29.2
Alcoholic liver disease—ICD-10 K70
Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified—ICD-10 K73
Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver—ICD-10 K74 (excluding K74.3-K74.5—Biliary cirrhosis)
Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis—ICD-10 K86.0
Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol—ICD-10 X45
Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol—ICD-10 X65
Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent—ICD-10 Y15
(2) Usual residents of these areas.
(3) Deaths registered in 2005.

Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the calculation underlying paragraphs 1.35 and 1.36 of HC 968, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2006. [87531]

Dawn Primarolo: The figures in paragraphs 1.35 and 1.36 of HC 968, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2006 were produced using micro-simulation models of the tax and benefit system and the 2003-04 Family Resources Survey (FRS).

It is not possible to provide the calculations that underpin the figures, as they are the result of complex models that cannot be reduced to a small number of calculations.


25 July 2006 : Column 1354W

Economic Growth (Scotland)

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the different rates of growth in Scotland and the rest of the UK since 1997. [88375]

Mr. Timms: Scotland has experienced sustained economic growth since 1997. The Government aim to promote economic prosperity in all countries and regions of the UK. In Scotland, the Government work in partnership with the Scottish Executive to promote this objective.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage electoral registration rate was for the 100 (a) richest and (b) poorest wards in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available. [87731]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the percentage electoral rate for the 100 (a) richest and (b) poorest wards in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland, in the most recent year for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (87731)

    The following tables containing percentage electoral registration rates are enclosed, and will also be placed in the House of Commons Library—Table 1 for the 100 richest wards in Wales, Table 2 for the 100 poorest wards in Wales, Table 3 for the 100 richest wards in England and Table 4 for the 100 poorest wards in England. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are not currently available.

    Ward level income data have been used as a proxy for the richest and poorest wards. The income data used are the model-based Census Area Statistics (CAS) ward estimates for average household income for 200-02. The methodology used to produce the model-based estimates is relatively new and as a result may be subject to consultation, modification and further development. In view of this ongoing work the model-based estimates are classified as experimental statistics.

    In common with any ranking based on estimates, care must be exercised in interpreting the ranking of the wards. The variability of the income estimates when using these figures needs to be taken into account. For example, due to some uncertainty over the accuracy of the estimates, it needs to be recognised that the income estimate for the highest ranked ward will lie among the group of wards with the highest income levels, but cannot with absolute certainty be considered to be the ward with the highest average ward income. Therefore the top and bottom 100 richest wards for England and Wales based on income levels cannot be considered to be a definitive list.

    It should be borne in mind that the percentage of the “resident population” who are registered to vote does not provide a reliable estimate of the registration rate of the eligible population. This is mainly because there are definitional differences between “usually resident” and eligibility to vote and therefore the estimated resident population aged 18 and over is not the same as the number of people eligible to vote. For example, the resident population includes all those who usually live in an area irrespective of nationality whereas the parliamentary electorate excludes foreign nationals (but Commonwealth and Irish citizens are included) and may include some overseas electors who do not
    25 July 2006 : Column 1355W
    currently live in the area. Further, there is inevitably some double counting of the registered electorate and this can occur for a number of reasons. People who have more than one address, including students, may register in more than one place. Electoral registration officers may vary in how quickly they remove people from the registers after they have moved away from an area or after they have died.

    The latest available population data available at ward level are for mid-2002. The ward electorate counts used for calculating the electoral registration rates are for December 2002 parliamentary electors, including attainers. The parliamentary electorate has been used rather than the local government electorate even though the latter is definitionally closer to the resident population because the local government electorate is not available at ward level. No adjustment has been made to reflect the difference between these two time points.

    The population data are estimates and as such are subject to a margin of confidence. The CAS ward level population estimates have been published with the status of experimental statistics. Therefore, the estimates, and electoral registration rates derived from them, should be treated with some care.

    There are a number of wards where the electorate counts are greater than the 18+ population estimate, resulting in electoral registration rates above 100 per cent. These cases are attributable to definitional differences between the estimates and electoral counts, the accuracy of the ward estimates, the accuracy of the electoral registers and limitations in the methodology used to convert electoral counts to the CAS ward geography.

Electrical Items (Standby)

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of electrical items left on standby each night in his Department's buildings in London. [83584]

John Healey: No such estimate can be reliably made.

Energy Efficiency

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of how the wear and tear allowance might be reformed to incentivise landlords to invest in energy efficiency. [87455]

John Healey: The Government announced in pre-Budget report 2005 its intention to reform the existing Wear and Tear Allowance for landlords by making it conditional on the energy efficiency of the rental property. Any changes to the Allowance will be announced by the Chancellor within the Budget process.

Energy Services Market

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what report he has received on the Treasury-hosted seminar to explore how Government and business community can encourage the development of energy services markets; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [87452]

John Healey: As the Energy Review states, the Government wishes to incentivise energy suppliers to engage more actively with customers in order to deliver greater energy efficiency in the home. We want to provide the right stimulus for them to develop new market opportunities to sell energy services, so what the consumer buys are services for heating, lighting and powering
25 July 2006 : Column 1356W
their homes, in the most energy efficient way practicable. I hosted a seminar at HM Treasury with representatives of energy supply companies and other organisations, including non-governmental organisations and Government departments Outcomes of this meeting fed into the Energy Review consultation. A note of this meeting will be placed in the House Library as soon as possible.

Ethnic Minority Advisory Group

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the members are of the Treasury’s Ethnic Minority Advisory Group; and when it has met in each of the last three years. [87459]

John Healey: The Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG) is an internal group within the Treasury that works independently, but co-operatively, with Treasury senior management to ensure that all issues which affect the Treasury’s black and minority ethnic staff are taken into account in personnel and management policies, and to play a full part in the Department’s diversity agenda. The EMAG includes staff from across the Department, on a voluntary basis, and meets regularly as a group and with senior managers and other interested parties within the Treasury.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Chris Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter he sent to EU Finance Ministers earlier this year on the economic case for extending and strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme beyond 2012 as the foundation of a global carbon market. [77147]

John Healey: The Chancellor wrote to EU Finance Ministers to highlight the economic case for extending and strengthening the EU Emissions Trading Scheme beyond 2012 as the core of a global carbon market. Developing the scheme is important in ensuring it maintains competitiveness for European firms and supports investment in low carbon technology in developing countries through the Clean Development Mechanism and in providing certainty for industry. The Chancellor enters into correspondence with EU colleagues on a number of issues, and these documents are not generally released.

Exports/Imports

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what percentage (a) exports and (b) imports changed between 1998 and 2004; and what assessment he has made of the connected trends in world trade over the same period. [87503]

John Healey: IMF figures suggest that world trade growth averaged 6 per cent. per year between 1998 and 2004. Over the same period, total UK exports of goods and services grew by 26 per cent. (an annual average of 4.3 per cent.), while imports of goods and services increased by 41 per cent. (annual average growth of 6.8 per cent.). The divergence between UK export growth and world trade growth over this period is likely partly to reflect relatively weak growth in domestic demand in the UK’s main export market—the euro area—as well
25 July 2006 : Column 1357W
as some loss of the UK’s share of world export markets in the face of increasing competition from emerging economies. However, UK export growth was at its strongest for five years in 2005, outpacing import growth.

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what percentage (a) exports and (b) imports with European Union countries changed between 1998 and 2004; and what assessment he has made of such trends in trade over the same period. [87504]

John Healey: The Office for National Statistics publish trade volume figures for goods, rather than for goods and services, for the ED and non-EU. UK goods export volumes to EU-25 countries rose by 13.5 per cent. between 1998 and 2004, while imports from the ED increased by 39.6 per cent. These trends, which have taken place against a background of relatively strong world trade growth, are likely partly to reflect the relative weakness of domestic demand in the euro area over recent years, relatively robust domestic demand in the UK over much of the period in question, and some loss of UK export market share in the EU in the face of increasing competition from
25 July 2006 : Column 1358W
emerging economies. More recently, growth in UK goods exports to the EU has picked up, rising by over 6 per cent. in 2005—the strongest growth rate for five years.

Family Numbers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in the UK have three or more children, broken down by ethnic background. [87964]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your request for the number of families in the UK that have three or more children, broken down by ethnic background. I am replying in her absence. (87964)

    The latest available figures are from the 2001 Census, as this is the only source that can be used to look at families in this detail. The data are taken from commissioned census table M502 which is available on request from Census Customer Services (census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk). Figures for the UK are given in the attached table, based on the ethnic groups that are available for all the constituent countries of the UK.

Families( 1) with three of more dependent children( 2) : by ethnic group of family reference person( 3,4) , United Kingdom, 2001
Percentage of families with dependent children that have three or more dependent children Number of families with three or more dependent children All families with dependent children All Ethnic Groups

17.7

1,278,447

7,221,558

White

16.9

1,100,900

6,524,220

Mixed

18.9

11,509

61,053

Asian

30.1

112,130

372,041

Black

20.9

41,724

199,794

Chinese or other ethnic group

18.9

12,184

64,450

(1) A family consists of a couple (married or cohabiting) with or without children, or a lone parent and their children. Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
(2 )A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s).
(3 )Family Reference Person (FRP) is used to identify a family and its characteristics. The FRP in a couple is based on economic activity, then age (oldest), then the first member of the couple on the Census form.
(4 )The ethnic group of a family is given by the ethnic group of the FRP. It does not follow that everyone in the family will be of the same ethnic group as the FRP.
Cells in this table have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
Source:
Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics; Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland; Census, April 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Financial Skills

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action the Government is taking to ensure that financial skills are increased among the adult population. [88688]

Mr. Timms: The FSA leads the national strategy on financial capability in partnership with the Government, the financial services industry and voluntary organisations.

In March 2006, the FSA published “Delivering Change”, setting out its initiatives to promote financial capability. (www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/other/fincap_delivering.pdf). Most of these initiatives are aimed at the adult population.

The Government have given strong support to the strategy and the 2005 pre-Budget report announced that we would strengthen adult capability, especially for groups with particular needs, by including financial education in adult basic skills; and encouraging local authorities to provide more financial education to parents through Sure Start Children’s Centres and local family numeracy programmes.

The Government will publish a 10 year strategy in the autumn, setting out long term plans for improving financial capability in the adult population.

Fire (Fatalities)

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fatalities were attributed to fires in each year since 2003. [88967]


25 July 2006 : Column 1359W

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many fatalities were attributed to fires in each year since 2003. I am replying in her absence. (88967)

    The most recently available information for deaths is for 2004. Figures for deaths due to exposure to smoke, fire or flames are shown in the table below for 2003 and 2004.

Number of deaths due to exposure to smoke, fire or flames( 1) , England and Wales( 2) , 2003 to 2004( 3)
Number of deaths

2003

449

2004

326

(1) The cause of death was defined using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were selected using the following ICD-10 codes: X00-X09, X76, X97, Y26. These include deaths given a verdict of accident, assault, suicide or undetermined intent.
(2) Including non-residents.
(3 )Deaths occurring in each calendar year.

First-time Buyers

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of the proportion of first-time buyers with a loan-to-value mortgage ratio of 80 per cent. or over. [83005]

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.

Estimates using the Regulated Mortgage Survey for the first quarter of 2006 show that 78 per cent. of first time buyers buying with a mortgage have a mortgage loan to price ratio of 80 per cent. or more.

Gershon Efficiency Savings

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what processes there are in his Department to check Gershon efficiency savings figures before publishing them; and if he will make a statement. [88584]

Mr. Timms: Efficiency Technical Notes, developed in consultation with the National Audit Office, and published on departmental websites, set out how efficiencies are to be achieved.

Quarterly returns are provided to the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), signed off at senior level within the Department. These detail the value of efficiencies made to date on each programme against an agreed methodology and baseline. Evidence is also sought that there are no reductions in service quality as a result of the efficiency.

Headcount reductions and relocations to date are also reported quarterly. OGC scrutinises the data submitted against the delivery plan, the agreed methodologies, the expected forecasts and previous data submitted to ensure its robustness.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has given to departments to ensure that all reported Gershon efficiency savings are genuine; and if he will make a statement. [88588]


25 July 2006 : Column 1360W

Mr. Timms: The Office of Government Commerce has provided guidance, developed in consultation with the National Audit Office, to departments on measuring and reporting their efficiency savings including guidance on the robustness of their data systems assurance and covering the measurement of productive time and procurement savings.

DCLG has issued guidance to local authorities regarding how they should prepare their Annual Efficiency Statements in order to report gains delivered locally.

The measurement and data robustness guidance is in use across the efficiency programme.

Graduate Unemployment

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many graduates from each of the last five academic years for which records are available are registered as unemployed. [88691]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployed graduates. I am replying in her absence. (88691)

    The attached table gives estimates of the numbers of unemployed among the people who graduated with a degree in the years 2001 to 2005. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the three month period ending March 2006.

    As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Unemployed graduates( 1 ) of working age( 2 ) according to year of graduation, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted
Year of graduation Unemployed graduate—three months ending March 2006 (Thousand)

2001

5

2002

3

2003

5

2004

8

2005

15

(1) People whose highest qualification is degree level or above
(2) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59
Source:
ONS—Labour Force Survey

Greyhound Racing Levy

Mr. Moss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was paid on the greyhound racing levy in each of the last three years. [87237]

Dawn Primarolo: The voluntary contributions paid to the British Greyhound Racing Fund by bookmakers are not liable to VAT.

HM Revenue and Customs

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conference bookings were made by HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors through Sabre-Holdings or its subsidiaries including
25 July 2006 : Column 1361W
Travelocity-Business formerly known as First Option Events in each of the last three years; what the (a) location, (b) duration, (c) number of delegates and (d) cost was of each conference; and what fees were applicable to each booking where the event was (i) cancelled and (ii) scaled down. [85357]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested cannot be easily extracted from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs own records.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which HM Revenue and Customs offices have been closed since January 2005; how many are planned to close before January 2007; and if he will make a statement. [83445]

Dawn Primarolo: Since January 2005 HMRC has closed, or is in the process of closing, the following offices:


25 July 2006 : Column 1362W
Building name Town

Swinson House (Unit 5)

York

Chesterfield House

London

Meridian House

London

Trinity Park House

Edinburgh

Containerbase

Coatbridge

Princess House

Barnstaple

Loud House

Ashford

Whitehall

Shrewsbury

Imperial Buildings

Falmouth

Cater House

Chelmsford

Melbourne House

London

1st Floor, Units 3 & 4

Wallsend

Paxton House

Swindon

Duchy House

London

Aviation House

London

City Gate House

London

Conquest House

London

5(th) Floor, 10 Great George Street

London

Custom House

Shoreham

Harbour Masters Office

Rye

Custom House

Berwick

Tyne Bridge Tower

Gateshead

Custom House

Scilly

Heath House

Southend

Greyfriars House

Aberdeen

Lancaster House

London

Surrey House

London

Pinnacle House

Bootle

Fuller House, 1(st) Floor

Telford

Park House

Croydon

Bentinck House

Gloucester

Cale Cross House

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

Crown House

Windsor

New Court

London

Crown Building

Aberystwyth

Haymarket House

Edinburgh

Caledonian House

Watford

Government Buildings

Droitwich

Crown Building

Ruislip

Solar House

New Malden

33 St. James Street

Newport

Jubilee House

Woking

5 Shepperton House

Shepperton

Crown House

Hitchin

Loddon House

Basingstoke

New Freight Village

Belfast

31 High Street, Ealing

London

Concord House

Paignton

Elmbridge Court

Gloucester

Jephson House

Leamington Spa


HMRC has also announced plans to close the following offices before January 2007:

Building name Town

Angel Court

London

Coniston House

Washington

Bridge House

Grimsby

Maybrook House

Dover

Sussex House

Crawley


These closures are part of HMRC's on-going programme of rationalising and consolidating its estate following the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise.

HMRC has continued to maintain a face-to-face customer service in all the locations where this service was already in existence.

Household Incomes

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average annual household income was in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cumbria, (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale, (d) urban areas and (e) rural areas in each year since 1997. [88641]

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average annual household income was in (a) England and Wales (b) Cumbria (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale (d) urban areas (e) rural areas in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (88641)

    The main national source of statistics on household income is the Family Resources Survey (FRS) which the Department of Work and Pensions use to produce the annual publication Households Below Average Income (HBAI). The tables attached here have been provided by DWP. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have also produced some estimates of household income for wards for 2001/02 only, and these have been used to calculate an estimate of household income for the Westmoreland and Lonsdale constituency.

    Household income statistics are shown both including housing costs (before housing costs), and excluding housing costs (after housing costs). Using these two bases, Table 1 shows both the mean and median annual household income in England and Wales from 1996/97 to 2004/05. The median is the middle income i.e. the income above which half of the population live and below which the other half live. All household incomes shown here are equivalised. This means that they are standardised to take into account the different size and composition of households.

    Table 2 shows the mean and median annual household income in the North West and Merseyside Government Office Region (GOR). GORs are the smallest areas for which robust estimates
    25 July 2006 : Column 1363W
    can be produced from the Family Resources Survey. These regional estimates are produced by averaging over three survey years. Cumbria and Westmorland and Lonsdale are situated in the North West and Merseyside GOR.

    Table 3 shows incomes for households situated in the urban and rural areas of England.

    ONS has published estimates of household income for wards for 2001/02 only. These estimates are based on a statistical model and are experimental statistics—this means they have been
    25 July 2006 : Column 1364W
    developed in accordance with the principles set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice but have yet to be fully accredited as National Statistics. These ward based estimates have been used to estimate mean annual equivalised household income for the Westmoreland and Lonsdale constituency for 2001/02. Mean income before housing costs was £18,680, while after housing costs it was £17,130. It should be remembered that these estimates are produced using different methods so there is some uncertainty about how comparable they are with the estimates based solely on the FRS, used in Tables 1-3.

Table 1: Mean and Median Household Income, England and Wales, 1996/97 to 2004/05
Annually equivalised pounds, current prices
Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs
Mean Median Mean Median

1996/97

16,200

13,200

13,900

11,200

1997/98

16,900

13,600

14,600

11,600

1998/99

17,700

14,000

15,200

11,900

1999/2000

18,500

14,800

15,900

12,700

2000/01

19,200

15,200

16,700

13,100

2001/02

20,400

16,000

17,900

14,000

2002/03

21,000

16,900

18,600

14,800

2003/04

21,500

17,300

19,000

15,100

2004/05

22,600

18,100

19,800

15,700

Note:
All results shown for England and Wales are single-year values as sample sizes for England and Wales are large enough to support a robust single-year time-series.
Source:
FRS

Table 2: Mean and Median Household Income, North West and Merseyside, 1996/97-1998/99 to 2002/03-2004/05
Annually equivalised pounds, current prices
Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs
Mean Median Mean Median

1996/97-1998/99

15,100

12,600

13,100

10,800

1997/98-1999/2000

15,900

13,100

13,900

11,300

1998/99-2000/01

16,500

13,700

14,400

11,900

1999/2000-2001/02

17,200

14,500

15,100

12,700

2000/01-2002/03

17,800

15,000

15,700

13,300

2001/02-2002/03

18,800

15,700

16,800

14,000

2002/03-2004/05

19,700

16,300

17,700

14,500

Note: Figures in this table are provided using three-year moving averages, as single year estimates derived from sample sizes for a GOR the size of North West and Merseyside do not provide a robust guide to changes over time. Hence, information may not be consistent with previously published single-year estimates for North West and Merseyside. Source: FRS

Table 3: Mean and Median Household Income in the Urban and Rural areas in England, 1996/97 to 2004/05
Annually equivalised pounds, current prices
Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs
Mean Median Mean Median
Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural

1996/97

16,000

17,300

13,000

14,000

13,600

15,000

11,000

12,100

1997/98

16,700

18,000

13,300

14,500

14,300

15,600

11,300

12,500

1998/99

17,700

18,200

13,800

14,700

15,100

15,900

11,600

12,500

1999/2000

18,500

19,100

14,600

15,700

15,800

16,500

12,400

13,500

2000/01

19,200

20,000

15,000

16,100

16,600

17,500

12,900

14,000

2001/02

20,600

20,700

15,900

20,700

17,900

20,700

13,800

14,800

2002/03

21,100

21,400

16,500

17,900

18,600

19,000

14,600

15,900

2003/04

21,700

21,900

17,200

17,900

19,000

19,500

14,900

15,800

2004/05

22,600

20,600

17,700

20,600

19,700

20,600

15,200

16,900

Note:
All values presented for rural and urban areas in England are single-year estimates as sample sizes for these areas are large enough to support a robust single-year time-series.
Source:
FRS

25 July 2006 : Column 1365W

Household Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of families with three or more children lived in each county of (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986, (iii) 1996 and (iv) 2006, ranked in descending order by county. [87735]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number and
    25 July 2006 : Column 1366W
    percentage of families with three or more children that lived in each county of (a) Wales (b) Scotland (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland ranked in descending order by country in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986, (iii) 1996 and (iv) 2006. I am replying in her absence. (87735)

    Estimates of the figures requested on families are not available at county level from sources other than the Census. For this reason figures cannot be provided for the years indicated. Data from the 1971, 1981 and 1991 Censuses could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

    I am placing in the House of Commons library, figures from the 2001 census giving the number and percentage of families with three or more children by county / unitary authority for England and local authority for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These data have been extracted from commissioned census table M501 which is available on request from Census Customer Services (census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk).

Families with three or more dependent children: by local authority, Wales, 2001
Families with three or more dependent children
Percentage Number All families with dependent children

Wales

17.3

62,913

364,627

Gwynedd/Gwynedd

20.1

2,714

13,529

Ceredigion/Sir Ceredigion

19.9

1,524

7,671

Powys/Powys

19.8

2,934

14,790

Cardiff/Caerdydd

19.6

7,374

37,620

Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro

19.0

2,704

14,265

Newport/Casnewydd

18.5

3,435

18,579

Conwy/Conwy

18.2

2,269

12,473

Denbighshire/Sir Ddinbych

18.2

2,035

11,210

Isle of Anglesey/Sir Ynys Mon

17.9

1,449

8,083

The Vale of Glamorgan/Bro Morgannwg

17.8

2,816

15,848

Monmouthshire/Sir Fynwy

17.6

1,849

10,509

Torfaen/Tor-faen

17.1

2,068

12,075

Flintshire/Sir y Flint

17.0

3,213

18,890

Carmarthenshire/Sir Gaerfyrddin

16.9

3,574

21,136

Wrexham/Wrecsam

16.8

2,675

15,950

Swansea/Abertawe

15.9

4,299

27,055

Caerphilly/Caerffili

15.8

3,650

23,101

Rhondda; Cynon; Taff/Rhondda; Cynon; Taf

15.6

4,765

30,563

Merthyr Tydfil/Merthyr Tudful

15.3

1,188

7,771

Blaenau Gwent/Blaenau Gwent

15.1

1,419

9,418

Bridgend/Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr

14.8

2,501

16,885

Neath Port Talbot/Castell-nedd Port Talbot

14.3

2,458

17,206

Notes:
1. A family consists of a couple (married or cohabiting) with or without children, or a lone parent and their children.
2. Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
3. A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s).
4. Figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
5. Crown CopyrightÂ(c)2004.
6. Data are taken from Census Commissioned Table M501.
Source:
Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics.


25 July 2006 : Column 1367W

25 July 2006 : Column 1368W
Families with three or more dependent children: by local authority, Scotland, 2001
Families with three or more dependent children
Percentage Number All families with dependent children

Scotland

14.8

90,936

1,422,314

Shetland Islands

23.5

630

6,119

Eilean Siar

20.9

627

7,147

Orkney Islands

19.6

446

5,539

Highland

17.5

4,407

60,085

Argyll and Bute

17.3

1,809

25,602

East Renfrewshire

16.9

2,034

25,743

Aberdeenshire

16.6

4,861

67,017

Moray

16.5

1,727

25,078

Scottish Borders

16.4

2,023

31,482

Dumfries and Galloway

16.1

2,764

43,767

East Lothian

15.9

1,794

26,549

Perth and Kinross

15.7

2,439

39,138

Stirling

15.7

1,603

24,156

East Dunbartonshire

15.5

2,175

31,354

Midlothian

15.4

1,612

24,088

Clackmannanshire

14.8

926

13,938

Angus

14.7

1,910

31,981

Edinburgh, City of

14.7

6,751

114,416

Fife

14.5

6,305

101,386

North Ayrshire

14.2

2,485

39,594

Glasgow City

14.2

9,863

146,745

Inverclyde

14.1

1,517

23,554

West Lothian

14.0

3,055

46,768

North Lanarkshire

13.9

5,915

92,261

South Ayrshire

13.6

1,799

32,885

East Ayrshire

13.5

2,078

35,315

South Lanarkshire

13.5

5,246

87,503

West Dunbartonshire

13.4

1,641

26,262

Dundee City

13.4

2,257

38,714

Aberdeen City

13.4

2,993

56,381

Renfrewshire

13.0

2,863

49,408

Falkirk

13.0

2,381

42,339

Notes:
1. A family consists of a couple (married or cohabiting) with or without children, or a lone parent and their children.
2. Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
3. A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s).
4. There is a discrepancy of one, because of an inconsistency in the Scottish data.
5. Figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
6. Crown CopyrightÂ(c)2004.
7. Data are taken from Census Commissioned Table M501.
Source:
Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland.


25 July 2006 : Column 1369W

25 July 2006 : Column 1370W

25 July 2006 : Column 1371W

25 July 2006 : Column 1372W
Families with three or more dependent children: by unitary authority and county , England, 2001
Families with three or more dependent children
Percentage Number All families with dependent children

England

17.8

1,067,950

6,011,517

Blackburn with Darwen UA

24.2

4,673

19,325

Luton UA

23.9

5,800

24,289

Slough UA

22.6

3,463

15,333

Inner London

21.8

68,215

312,736

Leicester UA

21.6

7,903

36,509

West Midlands (Met County)

20.6

67,613

328,919

Nottingham UA

19.9

6,197

31,185

Southampton UA

19.6

4,638

23,704

Peterborough UA

19.5

3,948

20,198

Reading UA

19.4

3,123

16,059

Derby UA

19.4

5,346

27,524

Medway UA

18.9

6,335

33,546

Buckinghamshire County

18.9

11,236

59,542

Middlesbrough UA

18.9

3,458

18,342

East Sussex County

18.7

10,376

55,599

West Yorkshire (Met County)

18.5

48,927

263,806

Southend-on-Sea UA

18.5

3,629

19,578

Bristol; City of UA

18.5

7,976

43,221

Kent County

18.3

29,733

162,249

Bath and North East Somerset UA

18.3

3,388

18,562

Kingston upon Hull; City of UA

18.2

5,708

31,285

Outer London

18.1

100,775

555,966

Greater Manchester (Met County)

18.1

57,908

320,507

Bedfordshire County

18.0

8,771

48,626

Suffolk

18.0

14,289

79,286

Hertfordshire

17.8

23,042

129,745

Lancashire County

17.8

25,244

142,175

North East Lincolnshire UA

17.7

3,758

21,208

Oxfordshire

17.7

12,447

70,246

Devon County

17.7

13,707

77,430

Herefordshire; County of UA

17.7

3,648

20,617

Essex County

17.7

28,073

158,802

Windsor and Maidenhead UA

17.7

2,735

15,476

Thurrock UA

17.7

3,336

18,892

Merseyside (Met County)

17.6

30,892

175,319

Cambridgeshire County

17.6

11,413

64,798

Somerset

17.6

10,122

57,487

Isle of Wight UA

17.6

2,627

14,925

Gloucestershire

17.6

11,777

66,984

Torbay UA

17.5

2,525

14,411

Surrey

17.5

21,787

124,731

West Sussex

17.5

15,127

86,645

Dorset County

17.5

7,296

41,796

Wokingham UA

17.4

3,316

19,016

Portsmouth UA

17.3

3,834

22,170

Milton Keynes UA

17.2

4,994

28,953

Northamptonshire

17.2

13,913

80,756

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

17.1

9,890

57,827

Wiltshire County

17.1

8,994

52,737

Telford and Wrekin UA

17.0

3,675

21,571

Lincolnshire

17.0

12,898

75,744

Hampshire County

17.0

25,790

151,537

South Gloucestershire UA

16.9

5,202

30,722

West Berkshire UA

16.9

3,025

17,905

Shropshire County

16.8

5,525

32,824

Cheshire County

16.7

13,793

82,448

Swindon UA

16.7

3,838

22,981

Bournemouth UA

16.7

2,801

16,802

Redcar and Cleveland UA

16.6

2,945

17,737

North Yorkshire County

16.6

11,108

67,010

North Somerset UA

16.5

3,668

22,234

Warwickshire

16.5

10,051

61,042

Norfolk

16.4

14,598

88,849

Hartlepool UA

16.3

1,965

12,021

Bracknell Forest UA

16.3

2,356

14,477

Plymouth UA

16.2

4,723

29,066

South Yorkshire (Met County)

16.2

25,435

157,200

Worcestershire County

16.2

10,597

65,525

Halton UA

16.1

2,619

16,278

Rutland UA

16.0

629

3,934

Leicestershire County

15.9

11,783

74,210

Blackpool UA

15.9

2,639

16,641

Brighton and Hove UA

15.9

4,071

25,672

Poole UA

15.8

2,512

15,918

Stockton-on-Tees UA

15.7

3,744

23,917

Stoke-on-Trent UA

15.6

4,744

30,403

Cumbria

15.5

8,884

57,307

North Lincolnshire UA

15.5

3,023

19,504

York UA

15.4

3,087

19,993

Darlington UA

15.4

1,913

12,456

Derbyshire County

15.3

13,812

90,251

Nottinghamshire County

15.3

14,128

92,477

Staffordshire County

15.3

15,362

100,653

East Riding of Yorkshire UA

15.2

5,693

37,351

Warrington UA

15.0

3,756

25,120

Northumberland

14.8

5,524

37,367

Tyne and Wear (Met County)

14.8

19,770

133,866

Durham County

13.6

8,339

61,462

Notes:
1. A family consists of a couple (married or cohabiting) with or without children, or a lone parent and their children.
2. Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
3. A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s).
4. Figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
5. Crown CopyrightÂ(c)2004.
6. Data are taken from Census Commissioned Table M501.
Source:
Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics.

Families with three or more dependent children: by local authority , Northern Ireland, 2001
Families with three or more dependent children
Percentage Number All families with dependent children

Northern Ireland

24.8

56,666

228,980

Dungannon

32.0

2,093

6,537

Magherafelt

31.9

1,750

5,489

Cookstown

31.7

1,446

4,560

Newry and Mourne

30.9

3,836

12,431

Omagh

30.5

2,079

6,815

Armagh

29.4

2,199

7,476

Fermanagh

29.1

2,258

7,758

Moyle

28.3

603

2,134

Strabane

28.2

1,546

5,476

Down

27.7

2,460

8,890

Derry

26.7

4,256

15,912

Ballymoney

25.1

919

3,663

Limavady

24.9

1,164

4,679

Craigavon

24.4

2,790

11,445

Belfast

24.1

8,390

34,756

Lisburn

23.6

3,651

15,445

Banbridge

23.6

1,332

5,651

Antrim

23.2

1,552

6,685

Coleraine

21.4

1,602

7,479

Ballymena

21.3

1,653

7,748

Larne

20.3

824

4,060

Castlereagh

19.9

1,712

8,585

Newtownabbey

19.3

2,061

10,669

Ards

18.7

1,808

9,653

North Down

18.1

1,755

9,681

Carrickfergus

17.5

927

5,303

Notes:
1. A family consists of a couple (married or cohabiting) with or without children, or a lone parent and their children.
2. Cohabiting couples includes same sex couples.
3. A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s).
4. Figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.
5. Crown CopyrightÂ(c)2004.
6. Data are taken from Census Commissioned Table M501.
Source:
Census, April 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

25 July 2006 : Column 1373W

Identity Fraud (Training)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what internal training courses on tackling identity fraud are provided to departmental staff who have access to members of the public's personal information. [86645]

John Healey: I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 19 April 2006.

Income Tax

Annette Brooke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of uncollected income tax in each of the last four financial years. [81477]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 3 July 2006]: The amount of uncollected income tax for financial year 2005-06 appears in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs Annual Report: Trust Statement: Notes, section 6. The report was published on 11 July 2006. Figures for years 2003-04 to 2004-05 appear in the previous Inland Revenue Trust Statements. The method for calculating unpaid liabilities changed in 2003-04 so there are no comparable figures for earlier years. The uncollected amounts shown in the statements are a snapshot at the end of the year. HMRC currently collects around 99.5 per cent. of all income tax brought into charge.

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income tax was raised in the last year for which figures are available. [87155]

Dawn Primarolo: For the amount of income tax raised in 2005-06 I refer the hon. Member to page 87 of the HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts (HC1159).

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of administering the income tax system in the latest year for which figures are available. [87157]

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of collecting income tax in 2004-05 is published in Table 1 of Annex F in the HMRC Annual Report 2004-05. Administering the income tax system forms part of the wider cost of administering the PAYE and self-assessment systems, which also collect national insurance contributions and other statutory payments and administer student loans.

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of income the (a) richest and (b) poorest 20 per cent. of the population paid in all taxes in the last year for which figures are available. [88312]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.


25 July 2006 : Column 1374W

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of income the (a) richest and (b) poorest 20 per cent. of the population paid in all taxes in the last year for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (88312)

    This response is based on the Office for National Statistics’ analysis ‘The effects of taxes and benefits on household income, 2004/05(’). This was published on the National Statistics website on 12th May 2006 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. It also appeared in the May 2006 edition of Economic Trends. The analysis is based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey, which is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK.

    For the year 2004/05, the top 20% of households, ranked by equivalised disposable income paid 35.6% of their gross income in taxes. The bottom 20% of households paid 36.4%. Household gross incomes include all income from wages, employee benefits, self-employment income, pensions, investment income, state benefits and tax credits. Taxes include income tax, employees' national insurance contributions, council tax, VAT, duties, and other indirect taxes.

    More detailed information can be found in table 3 of this article, and further explanation is provided in the article itself.

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what percentage of total income tax the 10 per cent. of people who paid the most income tax contributed in the last year for which figures are available; [88313]

(2) how many people paid income tax in 2005-06. [88314]

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the share of income tax liabilities by percentile groups for 1999-2000 to 2006-07, and the number of income tax payers in 2005-06 can be found on HM Revenue and Customs’ website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm in table 2.4 “Shares of total income tax liability” and table 2.1 “Number of individual income taxpayers” respectively.

Inheritance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of estates inherited by under-18 year olds included the transfer of net debt in each of the last five years for which records are available. [87770]

Dawn Primarolo: No estimates are available.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the estates of people over 65 years entered probate with negative asset value in the last year for which records are available. [87771]

Dawn Primarolo: In 2003-04 the proportion of estates of people over 65 entering probate with a negative asset value was less than 0.5 per cent.

Inheritance Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 829W, on inheritance tax, what (a) preliminary regulatory impact assessments and (b) preparatory work related to regulatory impact assessments have been (i) placed in the Library and (ii) published. [87959]


25 July 2006 : Column 1375W

Dawn Primarolo: In line with normal procedure and Cabinet Office guidance full (i.e. final) Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) to support legislation, and partial RIAs to support formal consultation documents, are published on the HMRC website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/menu.htm. Copies of all full and partial RIAs published at pre-Budget report or on Budget day are placed in the Library. Copies of full RIAs published at other times of the year are also placed in the Library. No preliminary RIAs or preparatory work related to RIAs are placed in the Library or published.

International Advisory Council

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) who the members of the International Advisory Council are; and when it has met; [87462]

(2) on what dates his International Business Advisory Council has met; and how many members were present at each meeting. [87534]

John Healey: The first meeting of the International Business Advisory Council will take place in November 2006.

The information on the current members of the International Business Advisory Council is available on the HM Treasury website at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_19_2006.cfm

Iraq

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which dates since February he has visited British soldiers injured in Iraq; and what locations were visited. [80993]

Mr. Gordon Brown [holding answer 29 June 2006]: I regularly meet members of the armed forces, veterans and their families on my visits around the UK and in my constituency.

IT Contracts

Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [88972]

John Healey: HM Treasury’s suppliers are chosen from those on the OGC Buying Solutions Catalist list.
25 July 2006 : Column 1376W
These are suppliers with whom OGC Buying Solutions have a framework agreement, and full details are available on their website at www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk.

A full list of IT contracts and values for each of the last five years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Living Locations

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of people in the UK lived in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in each year since 1997; and what estimates have been made for each year to 2020. [88643]

John Healey: The information requested falls with the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many and what percentage of people in the UK lived in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in each year since 1997; and what estimates have been made for each year to 2020. I am replying in her absence. (88643)

    Figures on urban and rural areas are only available for 2001, Census year. In England and Wales urban areas are defined by Department of Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) as settlements with a usually resident population of 10,000 or more people/Figures for England and Wales have been presented on this basis. Responsibility for urban/rural definitions is a devolved matter and, as such, definitions differ across the UK, however comparable figures are available across the UK for the number of people living in settlements with 10,000 or more usual residents. The table shows the number of people who (i) live in settlements with a usually resident population of 10,000 or more people and (ii) live either in settlements of under 10,000 people or do not live in a settlement i.e. the remainder.

    The England and Wales figures have been extracted from Table KS01 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 Rural and Urban Classification 2004, which is available on request from the Office for National Statistics Census Customer Services: census.customerservices@ons.gsi.gov.uk

    The Scotland figures have been extracted from Table KS01 from Scotland’s Census 2001 Key Statistics for Settlements and Localities Scotland, which is available on request from the General Register Office for Scotland's, Census Customer Services [customer@gro-scotland.gsi.gov.uk].

    The Northern Ireland figures have been extracted from Table KS01 on the Census 2001 Key Statistics for Settlements Report, which is available on request from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency’s Census Customer Services [census.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk]. Further information on settlement classifications in Northern Ireland can be found at: http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/financeandpersonnel/DMB/urban_rural.htm


25 July 2006 : Column 1377W

25 July 2006 : Column 1378W
Number and percentage of people who (i) live in settlements with a usually resident population of 10,000 or more and (ii) live either in settlements of under 10,000 people or do not live in a settlement i.e. the remainder, United Kingdom, April 2001
People living in settlements with 10,000 people or more People living outside settlements of 10,000 people or more
Area All people Number Percentage Percentage Percentage

United Kingdom

58,789,194

45,938,430

78.14

12,850,764

21.86

England

49,138,831

39,631,606

80.65

9,507,225

19.35

Wales

2,903,085

1,865,989

64.28

1,037,096

35.72

Scotland

5,062,011

3,446,036

68.08

1,615,975

31.92

Northern Ireland

1,685,267

994,799

59.03

690,468

40.97

Notes:
In England and Wales, settlements with 10,000 or more people are defined as urban and settlements with less than 10,000 people are defined as rural.
Source:
Table KS01 in the Census 2001 Rural and Urban Classification 2004, Table KS01 from Scotland’s Census 2001 Key Statistics for Settlements and Localities Scotland and Table KS01 on the Census 2001 Key Statistics for Settlements Report

Long-term Unemployment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are long-term unemployed in each London borough. [88213]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. I am replying in her absence. (88213)

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

    Table 1, attached, shows the number of long-term unemployed (more than 12 months), resident in each London borough for the 12 months ending December 2005.

    These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

    ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached shows the number of people, resident in each London borough, who have been claiming JSA for more than 12 months, in June 2006 and as a proportion of the resident population of working age (males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59).

Table 1: Number of long-term unemployed( 1) persons, aged 16 and over, resident in London boroughs; 12 months ending December 2005
London borough Number (Thousand)

Barking and Dagenham

2

Barnet

4

Bexley

(2)

Brent

3

Bromley

1

Camden

2

City of London

(2)

Croydon

2

Ealing

3

Enfield

3

Greenwich

3

Hackney

4

Hammersmith and Fulham

2

Haringey

2

Harrow

1

Havering

1

Hillingdon

3

Hounslow

(2)

Islington

1

Kensington and Chelsea

2

Kingston upon Thames

(3)

Lambeth

5

Lewisham

2

Merton

2

Newham

3

Redbridge

1

Richmond upon Thames

1

Southwark

3

Sutton

(2)

Tower Hamlets

4

Waltham Forest

1

Wandsworth

2

Westminster

3

(1) Over 12 months.
(2) Sample size too small to provide estimates.
(3) Less than 500.
Note:
Estimates are subject to sampling variability.
Source:
Annual Population Survey


25 July 2006 : Column 1379W
Table 2: Long-term claimants( 1,2) of jobseeker’s allowance resident in London boroughs, June 2006
London borough Number( 3) Percentage

Barking and Dagenham

715

0.7

Barnet

915

0.4

Bexley

540

0.4

Brent

1,665

0.9

Bromley

760

0.4

Camden

1,460

0.9

City of London

15

0.3

Croydon

1,015

0.5

Ealing

875

0.4

Enfield

1,135

0.6

Greenwich

1,190

0.8

Hackney

1,540

1.1

Hammersmith and Fulham

670

0.5

Haringey

2,165

1.4

Harrow

395

0.3

Havering

380

0.3

Hillingdon

440

0.3

Hounslow

310

0.2

Islington

1,355

1.1

Kensington and Chelsea

565

0.4

Kingston upon Thames

150

0.1

Lambeth

1,750

0.9

Lewisham

1,475

0.9

Merton

560

0.4

Newham

1,525

0.9

Redbridge

750

0.5

Richmond upon Thames

250

0.2

Southwark

2,070

1.2

Sutton

375

0.3

Tower Hamlets

2,245

1.6

Waltham Forest

1,565

1.1

Wandsworth

1,055

0.5

Westminster

785

0.5

(1 )Computerised claims only. Dataset rounded to nearest 5.
(2) Over 12 months.
(3) Proportion of resident mid-2004 population estimates of working age (males aged 16 to 69 and females aged 16 to 59).
Source:
Jobcentre Plus administrative data held on NOMIS.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were in long-term unemployment in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster in each of the last eight years. [88379]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. I am replying in her absence. (88379)

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

    Table 1, attached, shows the number of long-term unemployed (more than 12 months), resident in Barnsley and Doncaster for the 12 month periods ending in February from 1999 to 2004 from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 month periods ending in March 2005 and December 2005 from the APS.

    These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

    ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (ISA). Table 2, attached, shows the annual average number of people, resident in Barnsley and Doncaster claiming ISA for more than 12 months, from 1998 to 2005 and as a proportion of the resident population of working age (males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59).

Table 1: Number of long-term unemployed( 1) persons( ) aged 16 and over, resident in Barnsley and Doncaster
Thousand
12 months ending Barnsley Doncaster

February 1999

4

3

February 2000

3

3

February 2001

2

3

February 2002

1

2

February 2003

1

1

February 2004

1

1

March 2005

1

2

December 2005

1

2

(1 )Over 12 months Note:
Estimates re subject to sampling variability Source: Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey

25 July 2006 : Column 1380W

Table 2: Long-term claimants( 1, 2) of jobseeker’s allowance resident in Barnsley and Doncaster; 1998 to 2005
Barnsley Doncaster
Annual averages Number Percentage( 3 ) of resident population of working age Number Percentage( 3 ) of resident population of working age

1998

1,520

1.1

2,845

1.7

1999

1,205

0.9

2,040

1.2

2000

920

0.7

1,205

0.7

2001

615

0.5

770

0.4

2002

365

0.3

770

0.4

2003

285

0.2

680

0.4

2004

235

0.2

500

0.3

(1 )Computerised claims only. Dataset rounded to nearest 5 (2 )Over 12 months (3 )Proportion of resident mid-year population of working age (males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59). Note that 2005 uses mid-2004 estimates. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data held on NOMIS(Â(r))

Malnutrition

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths malnutrition was given as a cause of death in each of the last three years, broken down by age. [88958]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking in how many deaths malnutrition was given as a cause in each of the last three years, broken down by age. I am replying in her absence. (88958)

    The most recently available information for deaths is for 2004. Figures showing numbers of deaths by age group where malnutrition or deprivation of food were mentioned on the death certificate are given in the table below for the years 2002 to 2004.

Deaths from malnutrition and effects of hunger,( 1) England and Wales,( 2 ) 2002 to 2004( 3)
2002 2003 2004

All ages

296

286

276

0-44

23

24

14

45-64

51

63

54

65-74

50

41

44

75-84

91

86

93

85+

81

72

71

(1) Causes were defined using the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).
The ICD-10 codes used to select deaths from malnutrition and effects of hunger were:
E40-E46—Malnutrition
T73.0—Effects of hunger
Records were selected where one of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate using the final cause of death.
(2) Including non-residents.
(3) Deaths which occurred in each calendar year.

Minimum Wage

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington, East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area were being paid below the minimum wage upon its introduction. [87369]


25 July 2006 : Column 1381W

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area were being paid below the minimum wage limit upon its introduction. (87369)

    Estimates for the number of jobs paid below the minimum wage for Parliamentary Constituencies and Local Authorities are not available. However the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates estimates of the number of jobs paid less than national minimum wage rates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at:

    http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&Pos=1&ColRank=1&Rank=272

Ministerial Flights

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in his Department are carbon neutral; and if he will make a statement. [81404]

John Healey: The Treasury, along with other Government departments, will contribute to a Government Carbon Offsetting fund (GCOF) administered by DEFRA which will make contributions to offset emissions from air travel.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has any records of meetings between him and (a) Sir Ronald Cohen and (b) the hon. Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson) in the last three years. [83496]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Ministerial Private Office

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size is of his private office in square feet. [83583]

John Healey: The dimensions of the office allocated to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1 Horse Guards Road are 18' 8" by 12' 4".

National Youth Volunteering Service

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2006, Official Report, column 620W, on the National Youth Volunteering Service, what discussions the Economic Secretary to the Treasury had with the Chancellor’s
25 July 2006 : Column 1382W
private office on that question; and whether there has been any communication between the Chancellor and Rod Aldridge (a) in writing, (b) by telephone and (c) by e-mail. [83492]

Ed Balls: Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as well as with officials within the department as part of the process of policy analysis, development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Nuclear-related Exports

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which countries the UK has exported nuclear-related equipment since 1998. [87575]

Dawn Primarolo: Information on exports is collected using a European-wide product classification system, which does not identify all nuclear-related equipment; therefore, the requested information is not available.

Office of Government Commerce

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what (a) guidance and (b) targets have been issued by the Office of Government Commerce to Government Departments on the procurement of fairly traded products; [87521]

(2) what responsibilities the Office of Government Commerce has for encouraging the use of fairly traded products by Government Departments. [87522]

John Healey: OGC is responsible for the Government’s procurement policy based on value for money, and for the negotiation, implementation and application of the ED and WTO procurement rules.

OGC provides advice and guidance to Departments on the scope to take social and environmental issues, such as fair and ethical trade, into account within the legal and policy framework that governs public sector purchasing. Within this framework, Departments are responsible for their own decisions regarding what goods and services they choose to procure, in line with their own Departmental strategies and priorities.

OGC has published “Guidance on Fair and Ethical Trading”, produced in consultation with the Fairtrade Foundation and DFID (who support the ethical trading initiative). In addition to this, OGC produced further guidance, “Social Issues in Purchasing”, in February 2006, which highlights how Departments can pursue a range of social issues in the procurement process, including ways to promote and encourage greater purchasing of fair and ethically traded goods. OGC is also on hand to assist Departments with their objectives to promote fair and ethical trade through their own procurement processes.

Official Residences

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which official residences he has access; and how many times he has stayed at Dorneywood since May 1997. [83514]


25 July 2006 : Column 1383W

John Healey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer's official residence is No. 11 Downing street. He has not stayed at Dorneywood.

Olympic Delivery Authority

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have held meetings with representatives of companies or consortia on the shortlist for the contract as the Olympic Delivery Authority Deliver Partner; which (i) Ministers and (ii) companies or consortia partners were at each meeting; where each meeting took place; what was discussed; and if he will make a statement. [88200]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Online Gambling

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the contribution of the online gambling industry to the UK economy. [87313]

John Healey: Revenues from gambling taxes are published in the HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gaming and Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbett.

Opinion Polls

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many opinion polls of (a) his Department and (b) the public his Department has commissioned in the last 12 months. [83495]

John Healey: The Treasury carries out an annual internal staff attitude survey. The most recent was conducted in December 2005. A summary of the results can be found on the HM Treasury website (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/information/about survey index.cfm).

There have been three opinion polls of the public undertaken in the period:

    An opinion poll to support the HM Treasury and DCMS feasibility study on a potential bid for the 2018 World Cup.

    A joint poll for HM Treasury and the Button Trust on children's aspirations to inform the review on Children and Young People for the Comprehensive Spending Review.

    A survey is being undertaken on behalf of HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government research programme.

The Department also conducts staff and public consultations, where appropriate, to aid operational and policy development.


25 July 2006 : Column 1384W

Parliamentary Questions

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written questions to his Department remain unanswered at 25 July for (a) between two and four weeks, (b) between four and six weeks, (c) between six and eight weeks and (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer.[87920]

John Healey: In the current session, Treasury Ministers have answered substantively in the House of Commons 5,602 written questions. 78 per cent. of the answers concerned were given on or before the date on which they were due.

Information relating to unanswered questions is given in the table.

Weeks Total number of questions Named day questions

2-4

11

4-6

21

3

6-8

Over 8


Pensions

Jenny Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government received in tax from pension scheme funds that started to wind-up before 6 April 2005 with insufficient funds to cover all of their members’ pension entitlements; and if he will make a statement. [89102]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC does not hold centrally, details of the amount of tax paid by pension schemes winding-up.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the projections in respect of unfunded public sector pension schemes in the 2005 Long Term Public Finance Report are, excluding the cash inflows from member contributions. [87529]

Mr. Timms: The projections of expenditure in respect of unfunded public sector pension schemes in the 2005 Long Term Public Finance Report exclude the cash inflows from member contributions. The net projections could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We are considering showing gross and net figures in the future.

Personal Allowance

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total cost of allowing the personal allowance to be transferred between spouses for families with children under three years old; and if he will make a statement. [85798]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The estimated annual cost of permitting the basic personal allowance (of £5,035 per year) to be transferable between married couples who have at least one child aged two or under, during 2006-07, is £0.3 billion.


25 July 2006 : Column 1385W

This estimate excludes any behavioural response to the change. It was calculated using the Department's tax and benefit mode, (IGOTM) based on data from the Family Resources Survey 2003-04, uprated to 2006-07 prices.

Personal Debt

Mr. Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total amount of personal debt was in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997. [88735]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on personal debt in the UK. (88735)

    We are unable to provide levels of total personal debt by region. The following table shows estimates for the whole of the UK.

Total personal debt (end-year) (£ million)

1997

586,659

1998

625,134

1999

675,599

2000

734,790

2001

810,665

2002

923,144

2003

1,046,913

2004

1,172,032

2005

1,275,740


    The estimates of debt and income are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available. NPISHs are legal entities which are principally engaged in the production of non-market services for households and whose main resources are voluntary contributions by households. Examples of NPISHs are: charities; relief and aid organisations; educational establishments; Trade Unions; Professional Associations, Political Parties and Religious Organisations, and Sports Clubs and Associations.

    Further data are available from table A64 in United Kingdom Economic Accounts which is available at the following address:

    http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422

Post Office Network Services/Contracts

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what services (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies (i) make available and (ii) have made available in the last five years through the Post Office network; through how many outlets the service is or was made available; and how many relevant transactions were undertaken in each case in the most recent year for which figures are available. [79195]

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for which services (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies hold contracts with the Post Office; and what the (i) start and (ii) termination date is of each contract. [81535]


25 July 2006 : Column 1386W

John Healey: The Treasury does not hold contracts with nor provide services (nor has done in the last five years) through Post Office Limited (POL). The only associated public bodies of the Treasury that do hold formal contracts with POL and provide services through the POL network are HMRC and National Savings and Investment (NS&I).

HMRC has a contract with POL for the provision of the Post Office card account (POCA) service. The service is available at all PO branches. The contract runs from 22 March 2002 to 31 March 2010.

HMRC has a contract with Post Office Ltd. (POL) for the provision of the Post Office card account (POCA) service. The service is available at all PO branches.

HMRC started paying tax credits and child benefit into POCAs in April 2003. As of 30 June 2006, there were 156,178 people are paid tax credits through a POCA and 629,042 people receiving their child benefit through a POCAs. However, there is a significant overlap and the overall number of HMRC customers using a POCA is approximately 700,000. Approximately 14 per cent. of all child benefit payments are made into POCAs, for tax credits the figure is 4.5 per cent. In 2005 HMRC made 27,527,140 payments into POCAs.

NS&I currently have a two-year rolling contract with POL, which began on 1 April 2004, with no fixed end date.

The Post Office provides the following services to NS&I’s customers:

    over the counter transactions (sales and repayments) for the majority of NS&I products;

    provision of up-to-date product brochures for the majority of NS&I products and other forms and leaflets; and

    provision of accurate oral information on NS&I products and transactions in response to enquiries made by members of the general public at Post Offices or through the Post Office's customer telephone helpline.

NS&I uses around 14,000 Post Offices. The Post Office carried out approximately 9.8 million transactions (sales, payments, enquiries etc.) across a range of NS&I products during the FY2005-06. Approximately 5 million of these transactions represent new and subsequent sales through Post Office Counters.

Postal Services (VAT)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to implement Postcomm's suggestion that a uniform 5 per cent. VAT rate be applied to all postal services. [88696]

Dawn Primarolo: European VAT agreements provide a mandatory VAT exemption for services provided by the “public postal services”. Under these same agreements, which cannot be changed without the unanimous approval of all EU member states, a reduced rate of 5 per cent. is not available for any postal services.


25 July 2006 : Column 1387W

Private Finance Initiative Contracts

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private finance initiative contracts commissioned directly by each Government Department and Government Agency in each year since 1997 (a) have been completed, (b) have been contracted but not completed and (c) are subject to current tender; and what the aggregate value is in each case. [88676]

John Healey: There are currently over 500 projects that have been signed and are now in operation.

Around a further 200 projects have reached financial close, but are yet to become operational.

The combined capital value of all signed projects is over £48 billion. Information on PFI projects that have reached financial close may be obtained from the ‘PFI Signed Projects List’ on the Treasury's public website.

At the time of the Budget around 80 projects were at the preferred bidder stage and around 155 had yet to appoint a preferred bidder. The estimated aggregate capital value of these projects is around £26 billion. The capital value of projects at preferred bidder stage is shown in table C18 of the Budget.

Questionnaires

Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by his Department or public bodies for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was of each. [83195]

John Healey: Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in each year since February 2004. [88565]

John Healey: The information is in the following table.

Security passes
Lost Stolen

2004

17

2005

34

2

2006

11

2


Skin Cancer

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were diagnosed with skin cancer in (a) Brent and (b) London in each year since 1997. [87663]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.


25 July 2006 : Column 1388W

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with skin cancer in (a) Brent and (b) London in each year since 1997. [87663]

    The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2003. Numbers of cases of melanoma skin cancer for the years 1997 to 2003 for London borough of Brent and London Government Office Region (GOR) are given in the table as follows.

Number of newly diagnosed cases of melanoma skin cancer( 1) for London borough of Brent and London GOR, 1997-2003
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Brent LB

8

13

9

18

14

15

18

London GOR(2)

505

548

532

571

508

459

545

(1) Melanoma skin cancer is defined as code C43 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10).
(2) Figures for London GOR for the years 2000-03 are available in Table 4 of the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations, Series MB1.
Source:
Office for National Statistics

Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecoms

Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what agreements exist between the Government and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication; [86453]

(2) whether tracking financial transactions involving British citizens by counter-terrorism officials through the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication programme has been legally reconciled with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998; [86499]

(3) how many financial transactions have been tracked (a) in total and (b) by counter-terrorism officials using the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication programme in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [86501]

(4) how many UK bank accounts have been frozen by his Department (a) as a counter-terrorism measure and (b) for other reasons as a result of financial transactions tracked using the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication programme in each year since 1997; [86502]

(5) to what UK financial regulation the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication programme is subject; [86503]

(6) what discussions the Government have had with its US counterparts to ensure the privacy of UK citizens who may have had their financial transactions viewed as part of US counter-terrorism investigations in conjunction with the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. [86504]

Ed Balls: A total of 388 individuals and 181 entities are legally prevented from raising, moving or using funds in the UK pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000) and 1390 (2002)
25 July 2006 : Column 1389W
relating to the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network and UNSCR 1373 (2001). A total of 152 bank accounts in the UK have been frozen pursuant to the UK's international obligations under these Resolutions.

It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on specific security matters.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is an industry owned cooperative. It is headquartered in Belgium. I refer the hon. Member to the statement posted by SWIFT on its own website some years ago on compliance (www.swift.com/index.cfm?item_id=6149) and the statement more recently on 23 June 2006 (www.swift.com/index.cfm?item_id=59897) which stated that "In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, SWIFT responded to compulsory subpoenas for limited sets of data from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury." The UK Government are aware of the arrangement between the US Government and SWIFT.

Tax Credits

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases where there has been a successful prosecution for tax credit fraud the sum involved was less than (a) £1,000, (b) £5,000, (c) £10,000, (d) £25,000, (e) £50,000, (f) £100,000, (g) £500,000 and (h) £1,000,000; and what proportion of successful prosecutions for tax credit fraud each figure represents. [83798]

Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many direct recovery tax credit overpayment cases were outstanding as at 31 May; and if he will make a statement. [75842]

Dawn Primarolo: At 31 May 2006 there were some 759,000 households with direct recovery overpayments outstanding. Claimants subject to direct recovery are offered the facility to pay back overpayments over a 12 month period with some repayment arrangements exceeding 12 months.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many staff have been employed on tax credit compliance in each quarter since 2001-02; how many are planned to be employed up to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement; [76421]

(2) how many claimant compliance officers have been working on tax credits in each quarter since April 2002; and if he will make a statement; [78375]

(3) how many full-time equivalent staff have worked in the Tax Credit National Intelligence Analysis Team in each quarter since April 2003; [83794]

(4) how many staff in his Department have been engaged in detecting and assessing tax credit fraud in each month since July 2005. [76996]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 15 June 2006]: I refer the hon. Member for Yeovil to my reply of 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2420W.


25 July 2006 : Column 1390W

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been dealing with disputed tax credit overpayments in each quarter since 2001. [76480]

Dawn Primarolo: The number of full-time equivalent staff dealing with disputed overpayments each quarter between quarter ending June 2004 and quarter ending June 2006, was around;

Quarter ending Number of staff

June 2004

120

September 2004

150

December 2004

300

March 2005

350

June 2005

500

September 2005

950

December 2005

1,000

March 2006

1,000

June 2006

1,050


Dr. Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing tax credits and benefits for the poorest families in areas where the cost of living is higher. [76809]

Dawn Primarolo: There are currently no plans to set varying tax credit rates across regions.

The main costs which vary locally are housing and child care. Both the child care element of working tax credit, and housing benefit are directly related to the actual costs individuals face. As such they already offer greater support to those in areas where the cost of living is higher.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what meetings he has had on reducing tax credit fraud and error since April 2005; and if he will make a statement; [78160]

(2) how many reports on tax credit compliance (a) he and (b) the Paymaster General received in each quarter from April 2003 to May 2006; and if he will make a statement. [78407]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 16 June 2006]: Treasury Ministers and officials have a number of meetings and receive reports on a wide range of subjects, including tax credits, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received a tax credit payment twice due to an error made by the Tax Credit Office in each month since January 2003; what the Department’s policy is in relation to such payments; and if he will make a statement. [78385]

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

HMRC’s approach to the recovery of overpayments is set out in its Code of Practice 26 “What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit” available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/credit.htm.


25 July 2006 : Column 1391W

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what results were achieved by the tax credits office in Northern Ireland in reducing fraudulent cases of living together as husband and wife; and if he will make a statement. [78405]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC have a range of approaches to tackle non-compliance. All claims, for example, are subject to an automated risk assessment process which looks at the features of a claim against known risks.

In 2005-06 the number of compliance interventions settled in HMRC favour where an undeclared partner was established by the claimant compliance team in Northern Ireland was 59.

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments were (a) disputed and (b) successfully disputed in Northern Ireland in each month of the last two financial years. [78763]

Dawn Primarolo: A total of around 16,000 households in Northern Ireland disputed an overpayment in 2004-05 and 2005-06. A monthly breakdown of this figure is not available. HM Revenue and Customs centralised its work on disputed overpayments in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in January 2006 and has not kept a separate count of disputes received from Northern Ireland households since the end of November 2005.

The number of overpayments remitted, in full or in part, because of Official Error in each month, from July 2004 was around:

Number of payments written off( 1)

2004-05

July

5

August

10

September

10

October

20

November

10

December

10

January

10

February

10

March

20

2005-06

April

10

May

2,150

June

3,900

July

1,300

August

3,000

September

1,800

October

1,100

November

400

December

100

(1) Figures represent the numbers of remissions made and are therefore net comparable with the figures for the number of households disputing overpayments.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what anti-fraud packages were designed for the tax credits system; whether these are (a) enabled and (b) operational; and if he will make a statement. [81149]


25 July 2006 : Column 1392W

Dawn Primarolo: It is not appropriate to give specific details of anti-fraud packages as to do so could provide assistance to those engaged in criminal activity.

Information of a more general nature can be found in “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been given to tax credit contact centres in relation to giving out the addresses of HM Revenue and Customs Enquiry Centres for claimants needing emergency payments; and if he will make a statement. [81152]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC’s guidance tells Tax Credit Helpline advisers to provide details of Enquiry Centre addresses local to the claimant’s area when an emergency payment is requested.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been employed on tax credit helplines (a) for the general public and (b) exclusively for the use of hon. Members and their staff in each year since they were created. [81524]

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of staff employed on dedicated tax credits helplines in April 2003, April 2004 and April 2005 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 81W, and to the answer given on 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1628W.

At April 2006 there were 3500 full-time equivalent staff, this includes staff from Northern Ireland who became part of the tax credit virtual network in November 2005.

(b) The number of FTE staff (Advisers) available to answer calls to the MP Hotline, are shown as at June 2003 (the first date for which number are available) and in April of each year thereafter and are around:

Number of staff( 1)

June 2003

20

April 2004

33

April 2005

36

April 2006

32

(1) Full-time equivalent

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce errors in payments of tax credit payments. [81525]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the HMRC publication “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial provision has been made to date by his Department to cover losses from tax credit fraud since 2003; and if he will make a statement. [81753]

Dawn Primarolo: Financial provisions are set out in HM Revenue and Customs’ accounts.


25 July 2006 : Column 1393W

HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report is available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many overpayments of tax credits in the last 12 months have been due to administrative errors; and what steps are being taken to reduce such errors. [82435]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the HMRC publication “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm and to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, Part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn05-06/05061159.htm.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any bonus payments have been made to staff dealing with tax credits since 12 December 2005; and if he will make a statement. [82887]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 10 July 2006]: The information is not available. Staff in various parts of HM Revenue and Customs, not only the Tax Credit Office, may be deployed to tax credits work or deal with tax credits in addition to other work. It is not possible to isolate those in receipt of bonus payments.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there have been for (a) tax credit fraud and (b) tax credit fraud over £250,000 in each month since January 2004; and if he will make a statement. [63040]

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were prosecuted in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06 for tax credit fraud; how many were found guilty; how much money was fraudulently obtained in each such case where proceedings are complete; and if he will make a statement. [77590]


25 July 2006 : Column 1394W

Dawn Primarolo: For numbers of prosecutions and successful prosecutions I refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friend to the publications “Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits” available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm. and to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Standard Report, part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm.

The other information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in South East Cambridgeshire were (a) underpaid and (b) overpaid child and working tax credit in each of the last five years; and what the value was of (i) underpayments and (ii) overpayments. [88734]

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 16 June 2006, O fficial Report, column 1421W.

Teenage Pregnancies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many underage pregnancies there were in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87507]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:

    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many underage pregnancies there were in each London borough in each year since 1997. (87507)

    Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.

    Number of conceptions to girls aged under 16 in each London Borough for the years 1997-2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are shown in the attached table. Figures for 2004 are provisional.


25 July 2006 : Column 1395W

25 July 2006 : Column 1396W
Number of conceptions to girls aged under 16 years by area of usual residence, London, 1997-2004( 1)
Area of usual residence 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004( 1)

London

1,141

1,152

1,058

1,246

1,252

1,229

1,247

1,127

Camden LB

25

24

21

24

22

25

23

14

Hackney LB and City of London

64

65

45

69

62

56

62

52

Hammersmith and Fulham LB

26

16

27

21

22

21

25

11

Haringey LB

50

50

33

60

59

59

46

62

Islington LB

29

20

34

27

37

30

33

35

Kensington and Chelsea LB

16

11

18

19

14

13

8

5

Lambeth LB

81

81

69

78

80

95

100

64

Lewisham LB

66

63

55

62

61

70

74

59

Newham LB

55

54

61

69

71

59

45

47

Southwark LB

59

57

61

63

68

77

83

66

Tower Hamlets LB

23

49

19

39

42

34

28

35

Wandsworth LB

46

46

48

44

48

41

39

27

Westminster City of LB

14

16

20

20

20

17

17

8

Barking and Dagenham LB

43

25

34

45

51

43

44

41

Barnet LB

28

20

28

35

34

27

38

34

Bexley LB

34

37

30

22

34

36

27

36

Brent LB

32

36

49

55

52

50

54

49

Bromley LB

30

29

24

35

33

38

39

36

Croydon LB

64

77

67

78

72

68

57

63

Ealing LB

28

43

31

41

31

32

29

32

Enfield LB

47

33

26

48

43

51

58

46

Greenwich LB

62

52

59

43

51

45

45

49

Harrow LB

22

19

9

15

24

21

18

25

Havering LB

22

22

25

31

23

18

29

25

Hillingdon LB

37

47

27

32

37

39

48

50

Hounslow LB

30

25

41

34

38

25

34

36

Kingston upon Thames LB

14

18

14

10

9

8

9

9

Merton LB

13

26

13

34

20

22

27

24

Redbridge LB

23

20

22

26

26

28

25

25

Richmond upon Thames LB

13

11

7

9

10

9

8

12

Sutton LB

9

25

13

17

17

23

25

20

Waltham Forest LB

36

35

28

41

41

49

50

30

(1) Figures for 2004 are provisional.
Note:
To preserve confidentiality, counts for City of London have been combined with those for Hackney LB.

Teleworker Heat and Fuel Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department takes to monitor the cost of domestic fuel for those entitled to the teleworker heat and fuel allowance. [86549]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC does not monitor the cost of domestic fuel used by particular groups of individuals. All employers can reimburse the full additional heat and fuel costs of employees working at home under the statutory homeworking exemption without a tax or national insurance charge arising.

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the teleworkers heat and fuel allowance. [86550]

Dawn Primarolo: There are no current plans to change the exemption for additional household expenses incurred by employees who work at home.

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what threshold he has set for rises in domestic fuel costs that will trigger consideration on increasing the teleworkers heat and fuel allowance. [86552]

Dawn Primarolo: Employers can reimburse the full additional heat and fuel costs of employees working at home under the statutory homeworking exemption without a tax or national insurance charge arising.

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether research has been carried out into the extent to which teleworkers’ income is being affected by changes in (a) domestic fuel costs and (b) the teleworkers heat and fuel allowance. [86553]

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC does not monitor the cost of domestic fuel used by particular groups of individuals. There have been no changes to the statutory homeworking exemption under which employers can reimburse employees the full additional costs of working from home without a tax or national insurance charge arising.

Unemployment Statistics

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs were lost in the (a) tourism, (b) agriculture, (c) fishing and (d) defence-related industries in each constituency in Devon and Cornwall in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [87391]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 July 2006:

    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about job losses in tourism, agriculture, fishing and defence-related industries. (87391)

    While statistics of jobs lost or created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in the number of jobs from year to year.

    The attached table shows the number of employee jobs in tourism-related industries in each constituency in Devon and Cornwall in 2004, and net changes since 2003. These figures are obtained by combining estimates of employee jobs in the following industries, as identified by the Standard Industrial Classification 2003:

    Hotels and other tourist accommodation

    Restaurants, bars and canteens

    Transport

    Travel agencies/tour operators

    Recreation services.

    The table also shows the number of employee jobs in agriculture, fishing, and defence activities in Devon and Cornwall as a whole, and for those constituencies where information is available.

    These estimates are from the Annual Business Inquiry and, as with any sample survey, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.


25 July 2006 : Column 1397W

25 July 2006 : Column 1398W
Employee jobs in tourism, agriculture, fishing and defence activities in Devon and Cornwall, by Parliamentary Constituency, 2003 and 2004
Tourism( 1) Agriculture, hunting and forestry( 2)
2003 2004 Change: 2003-04 2003 2004

East Devon

4,300

5,100

800

(5)

(5)

Exeter

6,200

7,000

800

(5)

(5)

Falmouth and Camborne

4,500

4,300

-200

(5)

(5)

North Cornwall

8,800

8,500

-300

(5)

(5)

North Devon

6,200

7,200

1,000

100

100

Plymouth, Devonport

1,900

2,000

100

(5)

(5)

Plymouth, Sutton

6,600

7,800

1,200

(5)

(5)

South East Cornwall

5,000

4,900

-100

100

100

St. Ives

5,700

5,700

0

(5)

(5)

Teignbridge

5,100

6,000

900

200

100

Tiverton and Honiton

5,300

5,900

600

200

200

Torbay

7,600

9,000

1,400

(5)

(5)

Torridge and West Devon

4,800

5,700

900

300

300

Totnes

4,600

5,300

700

100

100

Truro and St. Austell

6,000

6,000

0

(5)

(5)

Devon and Cornwall

82,700

90,200

7,500

1,400

1,300


Fishing( 3) Defence activities( 4)
2003 2004 2003 2004

East Devon

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Exeter

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Falmouth and Camborne

100

(5)

(5)

(5)

North Cornwall

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

North Devon

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Plymouth, Devonport

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Plymouth, Sutton

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

South East Cornwall

100

(5)

(5)

(5)

St. Ives

200

100

(5)

(5)

Teignbridge

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Tiverton and Honiton

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Torbay

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Torridge and West Devon

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Totnes

100

(5)

(5)

(5)

Truro and St. Austell

(5)

(5)

(5)

(5)

Devon and Cornwall

700

400

3,400

3,500

(1) Tourism is defined as Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003 Groups: 551-555: Hotels and restaurants; 601-623: Transport; 633: Travel agencies and tour operators n.e.c; 925: Library, archives, museums and other cultural activities; 926: Sporting activities; 927: Other recreational activities.
(2) SIC 2003 Division A: Agriculture, hunting and forestry. These figures are aggregates from which agriculture class 0100 (SIC 2003) have been excluded.
(3) SIC 2003 Division B: Fishing
(4) SIC 2003 Class 7522: Defence activities
(5) These figures are not shown in order to prevent the disclosure of data that could lead to individual businesses being identified.
Note:
The estimates for individual industries in Parliamentary Constituencies are based on very small sample sizes and are hence subject to significant sampling variation. Changes between years cannot be assessed at all reliably for these cases.

Valuation Office Agency

Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which public sector organisations the Valuation Office Agency obtains data; and with which it shares data. [88072]

Dawn Primarolo: VOA obtains or shares data in accordance with its statutorily authorised activities across a very wide range of public sector organisations in central and local government. A comprehensive list could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cars in each vehicle excise duty band are (a) leased to and (b) owned by (i) HM Treasury and (ii) its agencies. [83581]

John Healey: Details of the Treasury and its agencies are as follows.


25 July 2006 : Column 1399W
Chancellor's Department Owns VED/CO 2 Band Leases VED/CO 2 Band

Core HM Treasury

0

0

ONS

9

C

0

ONS

4

D

0

Royal Mint

2

C

0

Royal Mint

1

E

0

Royal Mint

1

F

0

OGC Buying Solutions

0

5

D

OCG

0

2

C

OCG

0

4

D

OCG

0

1

E

NS and I

0

0

DMO

0

0


Veredus

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which appointments in his Department have been made using the recruitment agency Veredus; what the date was of each appointment; and how much was paid to Veredus in respect of each. [83577]

John Healey: The Head of Business Delivery for the Debt Management Office, an executive agency of HM Treasury, was recruited using Veredus in August 2005. It would not be appropriate on grounds of commercial confidentiality to disclose how much was paid to Veredus.

Welsh Speakers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Welsh speakers there are in Wales; and what proportion this is of the Welsh population. [88376]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Welsh speakers there are in Wales; and what proportion this is of the Welsh population. I am replying in her absence. (88376)


25 July 2006 : Column 1400W

    The most recent information available on Welsh speakers is from the 2001 Census. The table below shows that on Census day (29 April 2001) there were 582,368 people living in Wales who reported that they were able to speak Welsh, which is 20.8 per cent. of the Welsh population. The figure has been extracted from Table T39 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 National report for England and Wales, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Welsh speakers in Wales, 29 April 2001
All people aged 3 and over

All people

2,805,701

Number of people who reported that they spoke Welsh

582,368

Percentage of people who reported that they spoke Welsh

20.8

Note:
In line with standard Census reports on language skills children under 3 have been excluded from the table.
Source:
Table T39 in the Census 2001 National report for England and Wales

Winter Deaths

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths there were in each London borough in 2005. [88550]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 25 July 2006:

    The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many excess winter deaths there were in London borough in 2005. I am replying in her absence. (88550)

    The latest available figures on excess winter deaths (the excess number of deaths each winter compared to the average during other months of the year) for local authorities are for 2003/2004. Figures for London boroughs were given in a Written Answer on 17(th) Novemebr2005 (Hansard Column 1574W), in response to a previous question of yours.

    Estimates for 2004/5 are expected to be published in November 2006.

[Continued in Column 1401W ]


25 July 2006 : Column 1401W

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 25 July 2006

[Continued from column 1400W]

Northern Ireland

Abortion

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance has been provided to health professionals on advice to be provided to women seeking abortions. [87978]

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety has set up a Working Group with representatives from a wide range of professional and specialty backgrounds including nursing and midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecology, public health, psychiatry, clinical genetics, Family Planning doctors and General Practitioners to develop guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland.

It is proposed to issue the draft “Guidance on Termination of Pregnancy in Northern Ireland” to interested parties for consultation in September. The completed guidance will be published early next year along with supporting leaflets for public use.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the outcome was of the survey conducted in September 2005 of health professionals on advice for females seeking abortions. [87979]

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety set up a working group to inquire into the adequacy of termination of pregnancy services provided in Northern Ireland (including aftercare); and following such inquiry, and after appropriate consultation with concerned organisations, to issue appropriate guidance.

The Working Group developed a suite of questionnaires in consultation with Obstetricians and GPs. The responses from these questionnaires have been used to inform the drafting of “Guidance on Termination of Pregnancy in Northern Ireland”. It is anticipated the guidance will be released for consultation with interested parties in early September 2006.

It is intended that the completed guidance will be issued early next year along with supporting leaflets for public use.

Adult Community Learning

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what budget has been allocated to adult community learning by each education and library board in each of the last five years. [85438]


25 July 2006 : Column 1402W

Maria Eagle: The Education and Library Boards are not responsible for Adult Community Learning therefore no budget has been allocated to Education and Library Boards for adult community learning in the last five years.

Ambulance Service

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of (a) current mileage levels for Omagh ambulance crews and (b) mileage levels prior to the acute services status change at Tyrone county hospital. [87279]

Paul Goggins: The mileage recorded by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service for its emergency A and E ambulances and non-emergency patient care service vehicles based in Omagh during the most recent quarter following the changes to acute services at Tyrone county hospital and the equivalent quarter in the previous year are shown in the tables as follows:

A and E ambulances
2005 2006 Percentage change

April

6,345

11,105

75

May

6,854

9,597

40

June

6,898

11,679

69

Total

20,097

32,381

61


PCS vehicles
2005 2006 Percentage change

April

7,955

8,823

11

May

6,649

10,650

60

June

5,889

11,584

97

Total

20,493

31,057

51


Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the outcome was of the review of the effectiveness of the Ambulance Service’s arrangements for ambulance cover at the Northland Road Fire and Rescue Service Station. [87280]

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service’s review has confirmed that its performance has improved significantly in the area covered by the Northland Road ambulance deployment point, which opened in May 2006. Almost 62 per cent. of life threatening emergency calls received in June 2006 were responded to within the national eight minute response target compared to 53.1 per cent. in April.

Breast Cancer

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has (a) to review the training and (b) conduct retraining of consultant radiologists in relation to breast cancer; what funding is available for this initiative; and what assessment he has made of the findings of the inquiry into the conduct of radiology in Antrim hospital. [86579]

Paul Goggins: The independent review by the Regulation and Quality and Improvement Authority (RQIA) into the conduct of radiology did not identify
25 July 2006 : Column 1403W
problems with training in breast radiology locally. However, staff shortages in the specialty were considered by the RQIA a contributory factor. The RQIA review recommended the promotion of the sub-speciality of breast radiology to medical trainees and also encouragement of the development of various models of service provision through a range of skill mix options as outlined in the NHS Breast Screening Programme. The Department is currently considering the detailed recommendations of the RQIA review and is exploring with the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency the feasibility of increasing the number of specialist trainees in breast radiology.

Charity Fraud

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many charities are under investigation in Northern Ireland regarding possible fraudulent transactions. [87129]

Paul Goggins: It is not normal policy for the PSNI to comment on on-going investigations as this may prejudice inquiries.

Chief Medical Officer

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) salary is and (b) other benefits are of the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland. [87990]

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows:

    (a) The salary of the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer will be in the range £135,000 to £140,000. The Chief Medical Officer has been appointed on secondment terms from the Royal Victoria Hospital to the Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety. He will retain all the terms and conditions available from his present employer.

    (b) No other benefits are available to the Chief Medical Officer.

Civil Servants

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants in Northern Ireland who were convicted of fraud or theft were (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed in each of the last three years. [81668]

Mr. Hanson: The following table covers Northern Ireland civil servants working within the 11 NI Departments/agencies and also includes staff employed in the Northern Ireland Office.

Convicted of fraud Convicted of theft
Disciplined Dismissed Disciplined Dismissed

2005-06

0

0

0

0

2004-05

0

0

0

0

2003-04

0

0

0

0


Cranial Remoulding Orthosis

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children in the Province are waiting for cranial remoulding orthosis treatment. [87980]


25 July 2006 : Column 1404W

Paul Goggins: At 24 July 2006, there were no patients waiting for treatment for cranial remoulding orthosis in Northern Ireland.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many people in the Province have undergone cranial remoulding orthosis; [88170]

(2) how many children in the Province travelled outside Northern Ireland to consult an NHS specialist for cranial remoulding orthosis in 2005-06. [87981]

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held centrally and will take some time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member with the relevant information as soon as it becomes available and place a copy in the Library.

Crime

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of reported crimes in each Westminster constituency in Northern Ireland resulted in (a) an arrest and (b) a conviction in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [86314]

Paul Goggins: As the PSNI do not collate details of the number of arrests or convictions, the information cannot be given in the format requested and could be done only at disproportionate cost. A table showing details of the number of crimes reported and cleared by each district command unit for the years requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Cycling

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to promote cycling in Northern Ireland. [87281]

David Cairns: The Department for Regional Development’s Roads Service promotes cycling in Northern Ireland from two perspectives. Firstly, it continues to invest some £800,000 per annum on the cycling infrastructure to improve facilities for cyclists and to make cycling as safe as is possible. This includes the creation of further cycle lanes (both traffic free and on-road); the provision of town centre bicycle parking facilities; and the installation of toucan crossings for cyclists at key points on the network.

Secondly, through its annual Northern Ireland Travelwise initiative, Roads Service promotes a series of highly marketed cycling events during National Bike Week. This year Bike Week took place from 17-25 June 2006 when some 400 cyclists participated in events across Northern Ireland. I understand that there are plans to organise further cycling events in the years ahead.

In partnership with the NI tourist board, the Environment and Heritage Service and the Health Promotion Agency, Roads Service co-funds a project to promote all types of cycling across Northern Ireland. As a result ‘Cycle Northern Ireland’ was established in 2005 and currently employs a dedicated marketing team whose aim is to promote cycling for the domestic/out of state markets; to raise awareness of the product available; and to encourage cycling as a mode of transport and as a leisure pursuit.


25 July 2006 : Column 1405W

Additionally, Roads Service in conjunction with representatives from the six councils in the Belfast metropolitan area (BMA); Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity; and Cycle NI have formed the Greater Belfast Cycle Marketing Group with the aim of co-ordinating the promotion of cycling within the BMA.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), through its Rural Development Programme 2001-06 (RDP), has allocated some £1,347,000 to assist Sustrans on a number of practical projects to extend the National Cycle Network.

The RDP has also provided approximately £113,000 of funding to the Countryside Access and Activities Network to develop cycling trails on DARD’s Forest Service properties at Castle Archdale Forest, Co Fermanagh, Gosford Forest Park, Co Armagh and Castlewellan Forest Park, Co Down and a further £42,000 has been allocated to Fermanagh district council for the development of a cycling trail at Florencecourt Forest Park in Co Fermanagh. £18,000 has been allocated to Ordnance Survey NI to develop Sperrins cycling route maps.

The Forest Service also continues to work with organisations including Sustrans to facilitate the development of the National Cycling Network through the provision of cycling routes through public forests. Cycle trails now exist in, or pass through, 11 Forest Service properties, and the Service has a target this year to publish operational guidelines for cycling in forests.

The Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) through the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is currently working with the Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN) on the development of a series of family trails; cross-country trails; and downhill trails at a variety of sites across Northern Ireland. These will provide cyclists of all ages and abilities from within Northern Ireland and overseas with the opportunity to participate in quality off-road cycling in a planned, managed and safe environment.

The first off-road family cycling trail, the Craigavon Lakes Mountain Bike Trail, was opened by the then Minister, Mr. Hanson, in September 2005. This trail is approximately 10 km long and is designed to be robust, sustainable and rideable in all weathers. The SCNI awarded funding of some 36,000 from lottery to support the development of this project

Three further off-road family cycling trails are planned for development by CAAN in the coming year and a total of 26 trails are planned for sites throughout Northern Ireland.

In the past three years SCNI has provided some £110,000 to Cycling Ulster, the governing body of cycling in Northern Ireland, to support the continuing promotion and development of the sport. SCNI, through its Athlete Support Programme, also invested almost £149,000 in 12 high performance cyclists over the last three years and recently undertook a study on feasibility of a multi-purpose cycling Velodrome in Northern Ireland at the request of Cycling Ulster.


25 July 2006 : Column 1406W

Dentistry

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dentists are registered in NHS practices in each of the health board areas in Northern Ireland. [86557]

Paul Goggins: The information requested is detailed in the following table:

Dentists registered in NHS practices by Health Board Area as at 18 July 2006
Health Board Number

Eastern

332

Northern

191

Southern

153

Western

121

NI

751

Note: Dentists holding multiple contracts within a Health Board Area are counted only once within that Health Board Area. The sum of dentists by Health Board is not the same as the NI figure as dentists can work in different Boards under different contracts and will be counted once within each Health Board Area in which they work. Source: Central Services Agency

Departmental Assets (Capital Charges)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what capital charges on assets will be paid by each Northern Ireland department out of the 2006-07 budget. [87271]

Mr. Hanson: The following table, based on the position as established in the Priorities and Budget 2006-08, sets out planned current expenditure and capital charges within each relevant Departmental expenditure limit for 2006-07:

Departmental expenditure limit: current expenditure and capital charges for 2006-07
£ million
Department Current expenditure Of which: Capital charges

Agriculture and Rural Development

233.3

14.8

Culture, Arts and Leisure

102.7

2.4

Education

1,632.8

-0.4

Employment and Learning

687.4

8.0

Enterprise, Trade and Investment

199.8

3.2

Finance and Personnel

211.7

11.8

Health, Social Services and Public Safety

3,591.9

39.2

Environment

126.6

1.4

Regional Development

382.3

0.1

Social Development

516.8

1.6

Office of the First and Deputy First Minister

74.8

0.3


Departmental Vehicles

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants within each Government Department in the Province used
25 July 2006 : Column 1407W
chauffeured cars in each of the last five years; (a) how many times civil servants within each Government Department in the Province used such cars in each year; and (b) what the cost was in each year. [83689]

Mr. Hanson: Records of numbers of civil servants using chauffeured cars do not exist prior to April 2003. Estimates of the numbers of civil servants by department that have used chauffeur driven vehicles provided by the DFP centralised car pool since April 2003 to June 2006 are given in table 1. It does not include numbers from Departments that have access to their own chauffeured vehicles, as those Departments do not hold these records.

Table 1
Department Number of civil servants

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)

73

Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL)

23

Department of Education

24

Department of Employment and Learning (DEL)

31

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)

17

Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP)

138

Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety (DHSSPS)

142

Department of Environment (DOE)

42

Department for Regional Development (DRD)

31

Department for Social Development

47

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM)

96

Northern Ireland Office (NIO)

(1)0

(1) The NIO has its own car pool and does not use the DFP centralised car pool. It does not record the number of civil servants who use the service.

A breakdown of the figures by year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

(a) Table 2 provides an estimate of the breakdown of usage per Department (in journeys) for which records exist. The figures include the DFP car pool and departmental cars but not the NIO which does not record this information.


25 July 2006 : Column 1408W
Table 2
Fiscal year
Department 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

DARD

1,108

1,280

1,079

DCAL

369

427

360

DE

221

256

216

DEL

295

341

288

DETI

1,944

1,985

1,822

DFP

1,477

1,706

1,439

DHSSPS

1,234

1,441

1,276

DOE

221

256

216

DRD

369

427

360

DSD

437

1,102

792

OFMDFM

1,255

1,450

1,223

NIO

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1) Figures not available


(b) Estimated costs for the use of chauffeured cars are shown in table 3.

Table 3
Costs (£)

2002-03

967,032

2003-04

1,056,463

2004-05

1,187,154

2005-06

1,226,898

Note:
These figures are not comparable to figures in tables 1 and 2 as they include the cost of the NIO service. The totals also include the costs of providing a service to visiting dignitaries and other non civil servants.

Domestic Rates

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the average effective tax rate in Northern Ireland to be levied on domestic rates bills in respect of the (a) district and (b) regional rate in (i) Northern Ireland as a whole and (ii) each district in Northern Ireland in 2007-08. [86817]

Mr. Hanson: Individual district council projections for 2007-08 are not available. Each district council is responsible for setting its own rate and the spending plans for the 26 district councils are not yet known for 2007-08. However, the average district rate for 2007-08 is estimated to be 0.00273 or £2.73 per £1,000 of capital value. This estimate is based on the assumption of a 6 per cent. increase in the average simulated domestic capital value rates that would have applied in 2006-07.

The regional rate for 2007-08 is estimated to be 0.00360 or £3.60 per £1,000 of capital value. This estimate is also based on a 6 per cent. increase for the regional rate, which has already been announced in the draft Priorities and Budget 2006-08.

Therefore, it is estimated that the total (district and regional) average effective tax rate to be levied on households in Northern Ireland under the new discrete capital values system in April 2007 will be £6.33 for every £1,000 of capital value.

Field Studies

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many secondary school field courses were funded by each education and library board in each of the last seven years; and how many students have attended such courses. [87099]

Maria Eagle: The information on funding and students attending such courses is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.


25 July 2006 : Column 1409W

Gambling

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland are receiving publicly funded assistance for a gambling addiction; and if he will make a statement. [87986]

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to estimate the number of people receiving assistance through health services for a gambling addiction. There is no record of patients receiving treatment solely for a gambling addiction although those patients with a co-existent mental illness or alcohol problem may receive therapy for gambling as part of their treatment.

There is no provision in law for publicly funded assistance for gambling addiction and no support is available through the benefit system.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of further genito-urinary medicine clinics in the Province. [87983]

Paul Goggins: In April 2006 DHSSPS asked the four health and social services boards to jointly undertake a review of sexual health/GUM services in Northern Ireland. In particular the review will address:

    (a) the potential to optimise the utilisation of current resources including facilities, staff and diagnostics—this will take into account an analysis by the Service Delivery Unit;

    (b) the potential to develop the capacity of primary/community based services to respond to the increased demand in the population;

    (c) equity of access across Northern Ireland; and

    (d) working towards the achievement of targets for open access and waiting times for appointments.

The Review is expected to be completed by the end of September 2006.

Integrated Schools

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) maintained and (b) state controlled schools have transformed to the integrated school sector over the last five years in each education and library board area; and if he will make a statement. [87996]

Maria Eagle: Over the last five years no maintained schools have transformed to integrated status. Two controlled primary schools in the north-eastern education and library board area; one controlled primary school in the south-eastern education and library board area; and one controlled primary school in the western education and library board area have transformed to controlled integrated status.

I have also recently announced the transformation of Crumlin High School in the north eastern education and library board area to take effect from September 2007.


25 July 2006 : Column 1410W

Language Support

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people whose country of origin is outside Northern Ireland and whose first language is other than English, are enrolled in each college of further and higher education in each education and library board area, broken down by country of origin. [86570]

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning does not collect information on students whose first language is other than English. The following table details FE enrolments by Education and Library Board Area for students whose country of domicile was reported as outside NI in 2004-05 (latest available data).

Region of Domicile
Education and Library Board Great Britain Republic of Ireland European Union( 1) Other overseas Total

Belfast

11

14

19

31

75

North Eastern

12

10

15

93

130

South Eastern

154

43

39

134

370

Southern

112

395

32

46

585

Western

1

46

3

17

67

Unknown

19

5,456

29

50

5,554

Total

309

5,964

137

371

6,781

(1 )European Union includes those countries that where members in November 2004.
Notes:
1. Data relates to enrolments over the whole academic year.
2. Current student postcode is used to determine Education and Library Board Area.
Source:
FESR.

Medical Assessments

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) children and (b) adults travelled outside Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for NHS medical assessment. [88171]

Paul Goggins: This information is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87641]

Mr. Hain: As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland I have offices in London and Belfast. The London office received minor re-decoration in 2005. The Belfast office was re-decorated in 2004.


25 July 2006 : Column 1411W

Ministerial Travel

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of travel to Northern Ireland by Ministers in his Department in each of the last eight years. [69668]

Mr. Hain: The cost of travel to Northern Ireland by Ministers is available for the last six years and is as follows:

£

2000-01

643,968

2001-02

591,619

2002-03

544,489

2003-04

486,545

2004-05

465,667

2005-06

469,638


MRSA

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidences of MRSA bacteria were reported in each health board area by (a) doctors and nurses and (b) others in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; and in how many cases poor cleaning was the suspected cause. [87982]

Paul Goggins: The number of incidences of MRSA bacteria reported broken down by (a) doctors and nurses and (b) others or whether poor cleaning was the suspected cause is not available. However, the total number of MRSA bacteraemia reported within each health board, for 2004-05 and 2005-06, is available, and is detailed in the following table.

Number
Health board( 1) 2004-05 2005-06( 2)

Eastern

143

113

Northern

47

34

Southern

24

19

Western

28

20

NI Total

242

186

(1 )Health Board of Treatment.
(2) Figures for 2005-06 only indicate the period 1 April to 31 December 2005.
Source:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC (NI)).

Murals

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the use of funds to encourage the removal of murals from gable walls in (a) Loyalist and (b) nationalist areas; by whom the funds will be administered; and who the representatives will be from the communities taking part in the exercise. [85049]

Maria Eagle: ‘Re-imaging Communities’ is a £3.3 million funding programme, administered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, for local communities which, over the next three years, will help communities to develop mural art and public art which celebrates life and helps people to feel part of the community they live in. It will
25 July 2006 : Column 1412W
also have a focus on replacing paramilitary murals and emblems with positive community images. It aims to build on and complement existing, though ad hoc, initiatives across Northern Ireland.

The Programme will support a wide range of community-led projects, offering grants of up to £5,000 for small projects and up to £50,000 for larger scale projects.

Applications will be invited from any local community group. Ideally these applications should be consistent with the local council’s good relations strategy or plan. There will be community development workers, employed by the Arts Council, available to help develop organisations in those areas which find it hard to access this type of funding. The Arts Council will look at all applications it receives, but in order to achieve high quality/good design in the new murals and public artwork, would expect an artist to be involved.

Nationality Restrictions

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what legislation has been (a) proposed and (b) implemented in relation to the recommendations of the Senior Civil Service Review Team on nationality restrictions. [87270]

Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.

Since 2001, my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) has, on several occasions, introduced a Private Member’s Bill supporting these proposals. The Government indicated its support for this Bill during debate on it in the 2003-04 Session. The hon. Member’s Bill has not completed the necessary Parliamentary stages in the current session.

A provision was included in the Courts Act 2003 enabling persons of any nationality resident in the UK to apply to be appointed as a justice of the peace.

Nursing

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what bursary entitlements are available for nursing students from Northern Ireland who study in Great Britain. [87977]

Paul Goggins: Throughout the United Kingdom, the funding of student nurse training, including bursary support, is the responsibility of the Health Department in whose area the course of study is being undertaken.

The following table details the bursary support available for nursing students from Northern Ireland studying in Great Britain for the academic year 2006-07.


25 July 2006 : Column 1413W
Student support for pre-registration nursing students for academic year 2006-07
£
England Scotland Wales

Personal Bursary

(1)5,983

5,990

5,983

Over 26 Allowance

(2)682

755

(2)682

Initial Expenses

55

55

55

Dependants Allowance

Means tested

Means tested

Means tested

Single Parent Allowance

(2)1,026 non means tested

1,210 non means tested

(2)1,026 non means tested

Child Care Allowance

(3)85 per cent. of costs (means-tested/ceiling imposed)

Up to £1,130 (non-means tested)

(3)85 per cent. of costs (means-tested/ceiling imposed

Pregnancy/Childbirth Allowance

(4)Ceiling of 45 weeks bursary entitlement

Bursary entitlement continued (detail not yet available)

(4)Ceiling of 45 weeks bursary entitlement

(1 )In England students undertaking the degree programme apply for a means-tested bursary with a student loan while those on the diploma course are eligible for a non-means tested bursary only.
(2) In England and Wales if students receive the over 26 allowance, they may not receive the single parent allowance also.
(3) Child care allowance paid for registered child care—ceiling £117 for one child, £174 for two or more children per week. Scotland pays a contribution to child care up to a ceiling of £1,130 per annum.
(4) England and Wales have introduced interim arrangements to continue to pay bursary support to students who are absent from their course due to pregnancy and childbirth for a period up to 45 weeks.

Parking

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what legislation applying in Northern Ireland prohibits motorists from parking their cars on pavements. [86307]

David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr. Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.

Letter from Mr. Geoff Allister, dated 25 July 2006:

    You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what legislation applying in Northern Ireland deters motorists from parking their cars on pavements.

    As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.

    At present, the principal traffic regulation order relating to waiting and loading restrictions throughout Northern Ireland is the Roads (Restriction of Waiting) Order (Northern Ireland) 1982 (“the 1982 Order”). A yellow line waiting restriction placed on the carriageway applies to all of the side of the road on which it is located, i.e. from the center of the road to the road boundary, which may include a footway or verge. A motorist parking their vehicle on a footway adjacent to a yellow line marking on the carriageway is guilty of an offence.

    In addition, the Footways (Prohibition of Waiting) (No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 1981 (“the 1981 Order”) prohibits the waiting by motor vehicles, at any time, on footways adjacent to clearways. Any person who contravenes the 1981 Order or the 1982 Order is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

    Article 88 (obstruction of roads) of the Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 also provides that any person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, in any way intentionally or negligently obstructs the free passage along a road shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £500.


25 July 2006 : Column 1414W

Parliamentary Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many parliamentary (a) questions and (b) draft answers on Northern Ireland matters tabled by (i) hon. Members for Northern Ireland constituencies and (ii) hon. Members for constituencies in Great Britain have been notified to the North/South Inter-governmental Conference Secretariat in the last 12 months, broken down by hon. Member; [88339]

(2) for what purpose parliamentary (a) questions and (b) draft answers on Northern Ireland matters tabled by hon. Members are notified to the North/ South Inter-governmental Conference Secretariat. [88574]

Mr. Hain: I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the British Irish Inter-Governmental Secretariat (BIIS).

Northern Ireland Office officials in the BIIS receive a daily list of all parliamentary questions tabled to my Department, as does every other division of my Department. Overall, they have drafted seven answers to parliamentary questions in the past 12 months.

This is broken down by hon. Member as follows.

Number

The hon. Member for Upper Bann

3

The hon. Member for East Londonderry

1

The hon. Member for South Down

3


A parliamentary question is drafted by the BIIS when the subject of the question is regarding the interface between the Government and the Irish Government on Northern Ireland matters. This is the purpose of the BIIS.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) guidance he has issued to his Department and (b) procedures are followed with regard to the processing of parliamentary (i) questions and (ii) draft answers on Northern Ireland matters tabled by (A) hon. Members for Northern Ireland constituencies and (B) hon. Members for constituencies in Great Britain. [88575]

Mr. Hain: My parliamentary clerk and his staff have lead responsibility for advising officials dealing with parliamentary questions. Furthermore, each division within the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has a nominated parliamentary questions co-ordinator who has been fully instructed by parliamentary section in procedures relating to parliamentary questions. Guidance produced by Cabinet Office has been placed on the NIO intranet and is available to all staff.

When dealing with parliamentary questions, my officials do not differentiate between hon. Members from Northern Ireland and those from Great Britain.

Pensioners

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of pensioners in Northern Ireland live alone. [87287]


25 July 2006 : Column 1415W

Mr. Hanson: In the 2001 Census there were 261,511 people of pension age (aged 65 or more for males, aged 60 or more for females) in Northern Ireland, of whom 80,486 (31 percent.) lived in single-person households.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners in Northern Ireland were re-admitted to hospital as an emergency in each of the last five years. [87289]

Paul Goggins: Information on re-admissions is not currently available.

The reliable identification of individuals who have been re-admitted to hospital as an emergency is not currently feasible due to the lack of a unique patient identifier to facilitate data matching.

The introduction of the ‘Health and Care number’ which will allow each patient to be uniquely identified will greatly assist in the production of this type of information in the future.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland aged (a) 65 to 74 and (b) over 75 years participated in (i) publicly funded learning and (ii) volunteering in each of the last five years. [87291]

Mr. Hanson: The following table details the number of enrolments of those aged 65 and over on learning courses funded by the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland for the period 2000-01 to 2004-05 (latest available data).

Aged 65-74 Aged 75+ Total

2000-01

12,901

5,653

18,554

2001-02

12,412

6,556

18,968

2002-03

12,772

6,174

18,946

2003-04

13,073

5,825

18,898

2004-05

13,606

6,027

19,633

Source:
HESA; FESR

The information is not available in the format requested but the following tables provide information on volunteers aged 60 years and over. Every five years the Department for Social Development (DSD) commissions an omnibus survey, to provide information on the nature and extent of volunteering in Northern Ireland. Figures from the 2001 survey, based on a representative sample, are provided below. The next survey will take place in September 2006.

Formal volunteering

Survey sample size

1,312

Percentage of overall survey

35

Total estimated number of formal volunteers

448,116

Age 65 and older

Number

62,736

Percentage

14


The following tables give information on volunteers supported through the Department for Social Development Volunteering Development Programmes.


25 July 2006 : Column 1416W

Community Volunteering Scheme (Grant Programme)

Figures are only available for aged over 50.

Total new volunteers Volunteers aged over 50

2001-02

899

184

2002-03

1,028

134

2003-04

1,547

217

2004-05

1,356

163

2005-06

(1)

(1)

(1) Figures not yet available.


Active Communities Initiative (2001-04)

Number/percentage

Total volunteers recruited

3,673

Volunteers aged 50 years and over

Number

429

Percentage

11.7

Source: Evaluation of the Active Communities Initiative 2001-04 CENI 2005

Volunteer Bureaux Initiative

Due to reorganisation no figures are available from the 15 Volunteer Bureaux until 2002-03. Age of volunteers is recorded in bands. The band is for ‘60 years and over’.

Volunteers Volunteers aged over 60 years

2002-03

6,751

675

2003-04

8,674

694

2004-05

10,091

1,312

2005-06

(1)

(1)

(1) Not available yet

Plagiocephaly

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of children in the Province who have plagiocephaly. [88169]

Paul Goggins: The number of children in the Province with plagiocephaly is not known.

However it is possible to provide the number of children admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of plagiocephaly. Data has been provided for the last three years.

Number of admissions( 1) to a hospital in Northern Ireland for children( 2) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of plagiocephaly( 3) for the years 2002-03 to 2004-05
Number

2002-03

26

2003-04

28

2004-05

34

(1) Deaths and Discharges are used as an approximation for admissions.
(2) Children have been defined as under 16.
(3) Plagiocephaly has been defined using ICD10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) code Q67.3.
Source:
Hospital Inpatients System.

25 July 2006 : Column 1417W

Population Growth Rates

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is (a) of the population growth rate for Northern Ireland and (b) of the total population in Northern Ireland for (i) 2011, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2031. [88254]

Mr. Hanson: The following table gives the 2005 estimate of the Northern Ireland resident population, and the observed average annual rate of population growth since 2001. The table also shows population projections for the years 2011, 2021, and 2031 and the projected average annual growth rate in population for each time period.

Population Northern Ireland population Average annual growth rate in time period (Percentage)

2005(1)

1,724,400

0.5 (2001-05)

2011(2)

1,767,500

0.4 (2005-11)

2021(2)

1,830,000

0.3 (2011-21)

2031(2)

1,860,200

0.2 (2021-31)

(1) Estimate
(2) Projection

Private Rented Accommodation

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action his Department is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) affordability of accommodation in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland. [87284]

Mr. Hanson: The Department for Social Development and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive published their joint strategy for the private rented sector entitled “Renting Privately—A Strategic Framework” in May 2004. The overall aim of the strategy is to promote and sustain a healthy private rented sector, which offers choice and flexibility by influencing supply and securing a better quality, managed sector.

The first stage of the strategy was to introduce new legislation to address inequities in the private rented sector and target unfitness. The Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order was made on 7 June 2006 and will be operative in early 2007.

The desired outcome of the strategy is to ensure more effective alignment of the private rented sector with demand and to realise the potential for the sector to assist in meeting housing need. The action points and activities to achieve this objective, by increasing awareness of and improving access to the sector, are being carried out and monitored by the Department and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in partnership.

As private rented sector stock increases it should follow that rents will decrease as landlords keep rents affordable to attract tenants who would now have more properties to choose from.

In addition to the actions detailed in the strategy help is available with the payment of rent in the private rented sector to those on low incomes through the housing benefit system which is administered by the Housing Executive.


25 July 2006 : Column 1418W

Pupil Statistics

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children whose country of origin is outside Northern Ireland and whose first language is other than English are enrolled in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each education and library board area, broken down by country of origin. [86563]

Maria Eagle: Information relating to children whose country of origin is outside Northern Ireland is not collected. The figures available relate to the first language of children who were born in a non-English speaking country and for whom English is not their first language.

Pupils with English as an additional language and born in a non-English speaking country at primary and post primary schools in Northern Ireland 2005-06
Belfast Western North Eastern South Eastern Southern NI Total

Primary Schools

Cantonese

32

8

36

51

11

138

Mandarin

(1)

(1)

6

(1)

(1)

12

Vietnamese

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Hindi

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

13

Urdu

(1)

(1)

(1)

9

16

30

Gujarati

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Bengali

9

(1)

(1)

14

(1)

26

Punjabi

(1)

(1)

11

(1)

5

25

Others

30

8

25

46

17

126

Total

77

29

85

130

54

375

Post Primary Schools

Cantonese

22

(1)

16

(2)

13

66

Mandarin

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

6

Hindi

5

(1)

5

(1)

(1)

10

Urdu

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

8

Bengali

8

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

12

Punjabi

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

5

Others

29

18

15

15

43

120

Total

67

20

46

31

63

227

(1 )Relates to less than 5 pupils
(2) Means figure has not been given under rules of disclosure
Notes:
1. Figures for primary schools include children in nursery, reception and Year 1—Year 7 classes.
2. Pupils whose first language is Irish are not included.
Source:
NI school census

Rates

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of householders are expected to pay (a) more and (b) less under the new rating system in Northern Ireland; and what the average (i) increase and (ii) decrease is expected to be. [87128]

Mr. Hanson: The percentage of householders which are expected to pay more under the new rating system, compared to what they would have paid under the existing system, is 45 per cent., with 55 per cent. paying less. For those expected to pay more, the average increase is estimated at £166. The average decrease in bill for those paying less is estimated at £99.


25 July 2006 : Column 1419W

These figures have been arrived at through comparing actual rate bills under the current NAV system in 2006-07 with estimates of what rate bills would have been in 2006-07, had the new capital value based system been in place. Any change in rate bill highlighted is therefore due only to the impact of the revaluation.

None of the estimates take into account those households which may qualify for housing benefit or the new rate relief scheme. They also ignore the impact of the transitional relief scheme.

Road Safety

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions there were for speeding in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and what the average penalty was in each year. [85368]

Mr. Hanson: Figures have been provided for the calendar years 2000 to 2004. In each of these years the vast majority of those convicted of speeding offences were given a fine as the main disposal. Table 1, therefore, provides the total number convicted of speeding offences, the number fined and the average fine amount given in each year.

It should be noted that, while penalty points or disqualification may also often be imposed by the courts for speeding offences in conjunction with a fine, current data systems are not designed to capture this additional detail.

Data are collated on the principal offence rule, thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Table 1: Number of persons convicted for speeding offences( 1) , number fined and the average amount of fine given 2000-04
Number convicted Number given fine Average amount of fine( 2) (£)

2000

3,847

3,801

84

2001

3,769

3,727

84

2002

3,336

3,310

87

2003

3,191

3,166

90

2004

3,248

n/a

n/a

(1) Includes convictions for the offences of ‘excess speed’, ‘exceeding special speed limit’, ‘‘L’ driver exceeding 45 mph’, ‘‘R’ driver exceeding 45 mph’.
(2) The amount of fine has been rounded to the nearest £.
Sentencing data for 2004 is not yet available.

Roads Service

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2006, Official Report, column 1057W, on Roads Service, what action will be taken to ensure that a strategic route will be provided from South Down to the Belfast/Dublin Corridor as part of the three month comprehensive review of the Regional Development Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [88818]

David Cairns: The acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr. Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.

Letter from Geoff Allister, dated 25 July 2006:

    You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what action will be taken to
    25 July 2006 : Column 1420W
    ensure that a strategic route will be provided from South Down to Belfast/Dublin Corridor as part of the three month comprehensive review of the Regional Development Strategy.

    As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.

    You will be aware that the strategic transport links within Northern Ireland were confirmed when the Northern Ireland Assembly endorsed the Regional Development Strategy in 2001 and the Regional Transportation Strategy in 2002. Improvements to these strategic transport links are being taken forward through the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan.

    The Department’s Regional Planning and Transportation Division is carrying out a focused assessment of the Regional Development Strategy which will consider the need for any in-course adjustments to the Strategy. There are, however, no proposals to re-assess the strategic network.

School Closures

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Catholic maintained and (b) state controlled schools have closed over the last five years in each education and library board area; and if he will make a statement. [87995]

Maria Eagle: There have been 14 controlled school closures and six maintained school closures over the past five years.

Education and library board area Controlled schools Maintained schools

Belfast

1

1

North Eastern

6

2

South Eastern

1

0

Southern

3

1

Western

3

2


In addition, 28 controlled schools have amalgamated into 13 new schools and 21 maintained schools have amalgamated into nine new schools over the past five years.

Education and library board area Controlled schools Maintained schools

Belfast

2 into 1

3 into 1

North Eastern

2 into 1

2 into 1

South Eastern

7 into 3

2 into 1

Southern

4 into 1

9 into 4

Western

13 into 6

5 into 2


Science Teaching

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pupils started (a) AS-levels and (b) A-levels in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; how many students chose science as an A or AS-level subject in Northern Ireland in each year; and how many undergraduate students at universities in Northern Ireland chose science or environmental studies as their main area of study in each year. [87097]

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of pupils who started AS-levels is not available. The remaining data is as follows:


25 July 2006 : Column 1421W
School A2-level entries School A2-level science entries First year enrolments on undergraduate science or environmental studies courses

1997-98

9,310

3,643

1,084

1998-99

9,199

3,694

1,093

1999-2000

8,962

3,794

990

2000-01

9,172

3,879

979

2001-02

9,280

3,907

1,184

2002-03

9,726

3,883

1,330

2003-04

10,382

4,209

1,293

2004-05

10,919

4,173

1,431

Notes:
1. GCE A-level only, not equivalent qualifications such as AVCEs.
2. A-level science denotes those pupils studying Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
3. Science or environmental studies courses at HE level include HESA subject groups Biological sciences and Physical sciences.
HE Figures are based on a snapshot of enrolments at 1 December within the academic year.

Service Agreements

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate has been made of the number of service agreements and other funding arrangements between health and social services trusts and area boards and community and voluntary sector service providers; what range of services is covered in such agreements; and what assessment he has made of the implications for such agreements of the Review of Public Administration. [87335]

Paul Goggins: It is estimated that HSS Boards have 292 and HSS Trusts have 997 service agreements with the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland. The agreements provide for a wide range of services for older people, services for people with physically and mentally disabilities, services for children, services for Travellers and Health Promotion.

In addition, some trusts provide grant aid for such groups where circumstances do not warrant a formal service agreement.

The detailed implications of the Review of Public Administration, as they impact on the community and voluntary sector, are still being worked out. It is envisaged, however, that the new planning and commissioning arrangements will present the sector with additional opportunities for engagement in the delivery of services. In the meantime, the current arrangements for contracting services from the voluntary sector will continue until the new structural arrangements are fully in place.

Single Equality Bill

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2006, Official Report, column 392W, on the Single Equality Bill, what progress has been made with the Bill. [83290]

Mr. Hanson: We are working on proposals for a Single Equality Bill and will publish these in the autumn.


25 July 2006 : Column 1422W

Statutory Investment Board

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the remit is of the Statutory Investment Board; and which projects the board is working on; [88226]

(2) who the members are of the Strategic Investment Board; by whom they are appointed; and for how long they are appointed. [88227]

Mr. Hanson: The information is as follows.

1. The remit of the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) is:

    (a) to provide advice to the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the formulation and implementation of its programme of major investment projects;

    (b) to provide advice and assistance including research, consultancy, advisory and other services to public bodies in relation to the carrying out of their investment projects;

    (c) to advise on the planning and prioritisation of programmes and projects together with the funding and the general implementation of projects.

2. The SIB is currently working on a number of projects and I have placed a copy of these in the Library of the House.

3. The Minister with responsibility for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister appointed Members to the SIB. Current membership is as follows:

    Tony Watson, Chairman—Chairman re-appointed from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2009

    Nigel Hamilton, re-appointed from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007

    Greg Sparks, re-appointed from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007

    James Stewart, re-appointed from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2009

    David Dobbin, appointed 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2008

    David Gavaghan, appointed 21 July 2004

    Brett Hannam, appointed 11 January 2006

All the re-appointed directors had previously served from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006. David Gavaghan and Brett Hannam are executive officers of the Strategic Investment Board.

Students

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to encourage women students in Northern Ireland to undertake science and engineering studies at university. [85367]

Maria Eagle: WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) is a UK wide organisation aimed at attracting more females into SET (Science and Engineering Technology). In Northern Ireland representatives from industry, academia and government meet to plan WISE activities. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment are represented and in 2005, Invest NI provided £5,000 sponsorship for production of a WISE DVD to encourage more young females to consider careers hi SET. The DVD was successfully piloted in October 2005 and is being distributed to schools.

WISE also has a website in Northern Ireland which was partly funded by the Industrial Research and
25 July 2006 : Column 1423W
Technology Unit (IRTU), which is now subsumed in Invest NI, and produces a series of publications aimed at encouraging girls from an early stage to develop an interest in science and engineering.

Other activities include; an initiative to encourage women who have left SET to return to employment; the Science and Engineering Ambassadors Scheme, and a Science and Engineering day for girls at W5. Of the 14 events delivering during Innovation Week, one event was aimed specifically at women called ‘Women Making Innovation Work’ where local and national role models were utilised to encourage women in Engineering, Science and Technology field to become more entrepreneurial.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students with a learning disability within each of Northern Ireland’s hospital trust areas will (a) transfer at age 19 years in the current academic year from Education Service responsibility to Health and Social Service responsibility and (b) will be offered full adult day care provision by the Department of Health and Social Services as befits their needs; what processes exist within the Department of Health and Social Services to ensure adequate forward planning to meet the needs of those clients in transition from the education sector; and if he will make a statement on the level of provision for such clients within the health and social services sector. [81814]

Paul Goggins [pursuant to the reply, 10 July 2006, Official Report, c. 1505]: I am now in a position to provide the information requested.

The information required to answer parts A and B of this question is given in tabular form.


25 July 2006 : Column 1424W
Trust Numbers transferring Full adult day care

Armagh Dungannon

13

9

Causeway

11

7

Craigavon Banbridge

16

7

Down Lisburn

11

3

Foyle

28

28

Homefirst

23

21

North and West Belfast

11

6

Newry and Mourne

23

4

South and East Belfast

11

8

Sperrin Lakeland

10

10

Ulster Community

6

6

Total

163

109


The Boards determine the needs of their population and allocate resources to meet these needs. Day-Care Services provided through the Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts are for those individuals who will be unable to access services provided elsewhere. Additional investment in Day-Care will continue to be made for those who do not have access to any other form of provision, such as further education, skills training or employment.

SureStart

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been allocated to Surestart schemes in the Foyle constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by District Electoral Area; and how much investment is planned over the next three years, broken down by District Electoral Area. [87295]

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the allocation of SureStart funding to Projects in the Foyle area since 2001. The table shows the actual expenditure by the projects except for the current year when the Budget Allocation is based on each project’s business plan. The information is not held at District Electoral Area.

Sure Start allocations to projects in the Foyle area for the years 2001-02 to 2006-07
£
Creevagh/Springtown Dungiven Strabane Shantallow Total

2001-02

170,686.00

177,211.00

283,374.00

97,583.00

728,854.00

2002-03

365,835.55

372,013.50

344,349.69

263,887.00

1,346,085.74

2003-04

335,396.05

335,002.76

369,900.76

327,337.28

1,367,636.85

2004-05

282,540.00

291,059.00

375,362.00

334,466.00

1,283,427.00

2005-06

288,917.00

296,859.00

385,384.00

340,369.00

1,311,529.00

2006-07

297,585.00

306,440.00

396,949.00

352,732.00

1,353,706.00


During the next three years, this level of investment is expected to continue in relation to the Wards already covered by these projects.

Funding has been made available from the Children and Young People’s Funding Package announced in March 2006 to support the expansion of SureStart into Wards in the top 20 per cent. Multiple Deprivation ranking which do not currently receive SureStart services. The Western Childcare Partnership has been provisionally allocated £1.28 million per year from 1 April 2007 for the expansion of SureStart into the 27 identified Wards in the Western Board area. Funding is available in this financial year to progress expansions, where possible, through existing projects and to begin the establishment of new projects which should become operational by 1 April 2007.

Sustainable Development

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what strategies for sustainable development the Northern Ireland Office has in place. [80977]


25 July 2006 : Column 1425W

Mr. Hain: The Northern Ireland Office is working along side the Northern Ireland Departments in developing strategies for Sustainable Development and will have the same targets to achieve. I made a speech on this explaining my overall strategy in Belfast on 9 May, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

At present the department is making a contribution to Sustainable Development on a number of fronts, including reducing waste to landfill through recycling schemes, contributing to the government carbon offsetting fund (GCOF) to make official air travel carbon neutral, purchasing electricity from renewable sources, replacement of oil/electric heating systems with gas, use of recycled paper, development of plans for use of energy from renewable sources at Hillsborough Castle, installation of a combined heat and power system at Stormont House.

Translated Documents

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many documents have been translated by the bilingual translation services in the Departments of (a) Education and (b) Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will list the languages for which translation services are provided. [81816]

Maria Eagle: The translation of any documents is provided for Northern Ireland Government Departments by the translation services unit in the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure. Translations can be provided in any language. Details of the number of documents translated for the Department of Education and Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in each of the last five years are provided in the following tables.

Production of documents in British sign language and Irish sign language is responsive to demand within the confines of budget.

Table 1: The Department of Education
2001-02( 1) 2002-03( 2) 2003-04( 3) 2004-05( 4) 2005-06( 5)

DE total

194

193

78

103

104

Of which:

Irish

192

191

71

99

74

Ulster-Scots

0

0

1

0

0

Other

2

2

6

4

30

(1) Two x Cantonese.
(2) One each for Cantonese and Portuguese.
(3) One each for Urdu, Cantonese, Portuguese, Arabic, Bengali and French.
(4 )French, German, two x Portuguese.
(5 )Three x Spanish, four x French, six x Portuguese, four x Lithuanian, two x Hungarian, two x German, Ukrainian, Danish, Afrikaans, Latin, Italian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Russian.


25 July 2006 : Column 1426W
Table 2: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05( 1) 2005-06( 2)

DHSSPS total

184

189

148

92

161

Of which:

Irish

176

182

146

83

150

Ulster-Scots

2

0

0

1

1

Other

6

7

2

8

10

(1) Three x Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tatum, Urdu, Polish.
(2) Three x Cantonese, two x Polish, Lithuanian, Hindu, Russian, Mandarin, Portuguese.

An analysis of other figures for 2001-04 is not available from the Department concerned.

Table 2 does not include figures on the number of letters translated to and from the public. This information is unavailable from the Department.

Travel Assistance

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial assistance is available to (a) patients who have to travel outside Northern Ireland for NHS treatment and (b) their relatives. [88172]

Paul Goggins: Patients who have to travel outside Northern Ireland for treatment are entitled to receive financial assistance from their local health board for all costs associated with the medical treatment, including any related travel and accommodation costs incurred during the hospital stay.

In addition, health boards will cover the cost of relevant travel and accommodation for one named adult for the duration of the patient's stay in hospital. In the event that the patient develops post-operative complications that necessitate a prolonged hospital stay, additional costs for laundry and interim return trips home may be permitted.

In exceptional circumstances, on application to the health board, limited costs for additional family members may be met, e.g. where a patient experiences serious post-operative complications or for the second parent of a paediatric patient.

Twelfth Celebrations

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Republicans and (b) Loyalists have been arrested and charged with street disturbances in connection with the recent Twelfth Celebrations; how many such arrests and charges there were in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005; and if he will make a statement. [86321]

Paul Goggins: The information requested in relation to the number of Republicans and Loyalists arrested and charged during the Twelfth Celebrations would require a manual trawl of police records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In addition, it would be impossible to confirm whether each arrest made was directly connected to those celebrations.

Workplace 2010

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) discussions he has had and (b) decisions he has made on expanding Workplace 2010 to involve other public service and local government premises whose future use could be affected by the Review of Public Administration. [87272]

Mr. Hanson: There have been no decisions taken to expand Workplace 2010 to include the wider public sector estate. Preparatory work for the implementation
25 July 2006 : Column 1427W
of the Review of Public Administration is, however, well under way including considering the impact on central and local government assets. The Workplace 2010 programme team is involved in this work and will give due consideration to the outcome in determining the way forward.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which premises will be involved in Workplace 2010; and how many jobs in each location he estimates will transfer from the civil service to the facilities manager or landlord, broken down by category. [87273]


25 July 2006 : Column 1428W

Mr. Hanson: It is proposed that 76 properties be included in the Workplace 2010 contract details which are outlined in the following table. It is expected that a range of property and services related functions could transfer to the private sector partner. However, final decisions will not be taken until later and the implications for the staff working in these jobs are still being considered in full consultation with trade union representatives.


25 July 2006 : Column 1429W

25 July 2006 : Column 1430W
Workplace 2010 Buildings
Address

Adelaide House

39-49 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8FD

Castle Court

42 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DF

Causeway Exchange

1-7 Bedford Street, Belfast, BT1 7FB

Centre House

69-85 Chichester Street and 133-159 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 4JE

Clare House

303 Airport Road West, Belfast, BT3 9ED

Clarence Court

10-18 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GB

The Design Centre

39 Corporation Street, Belfast, BT1 3BA

Ferguson/Royston House

13 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GB

Goodwood House

44-58 May Street, Belfast, BT1 4NN

Hydebank

4 Hospital Road, Belfast, BT8 8JL

Interpoint

18 York Street, Belfast, BT15 1AQ

James House

2 Cromac Avenue, Belfast, BT7 2JA

Klondyke

Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Belfast, BT7 2JA

Lesley Exchange

1 May's Meadow, Belfast, BT1 3PH

The Lighthouse

1 Cromac Place, Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JB

Lincoln Building

27 - 45 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2 7SL

Millennium House

17-25 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2 7BN

River House

48 High Street, Belfast, BT1 2AW

Waterfront Plaza

1st Floor, 8 Laganbank Road, Belfast, BT1 8LX

Windsor House

9-15 Bedford Street, Belfast, BT2 7UE

Castle Buildings

Stormont Estate, 658 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SJ

Castle Buildings (Annexes)

Stormont Estate, 658 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SJ

Dundonald House

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB

Dundonald House (Annexe A)

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB

Dundonald House (Annexe B)

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB

Dundonald House (Annexe C)

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB

Dundonald House (Annexe D)

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB

Hillview Buildings

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SG

Knockview Buildings

Stormont Estate, 672 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SG

Massey House

Stormont Estate, 666 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SX

Netherleigh

1 Massey Avenue, Belfast, BT4 2JP

Rosepark House

711-715 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3NR

Rathgael House (new)

43 Balloo Road, Bangor, County Down, BT19 7PR

Rathgael House (old)

43 Balloo Road, Bangor, County Down, BT19 7PR

Ballymena County Hall

182 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT42 1QG

Carlisle House

20A Carlisle Road, Londonderry, BT48 6RE

Coleraine County Hall

7 Castlerock Road, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT51 3HS

Marlborough House

2 Central Way, Craigavon, County Armagh, BT64 1AD

Orchard House

40 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AT

Rathkeltair House

87 Market Street, Downpatrick, County Down, BT30 6AJ

Waterside House

75 Duke Street, Londonderry, BT47 IFP

Anderstonstown SSO

35-37 Slieveban Drive, Belfast, BTll 8HL

Bangor SSO

110 Hamilton Road, Bangor, County Down, BT20 4LJ

Corporation Street SSO

24-42 Corporation Street, Belfast, BT1 3DR

Falls Road J&BO

19 Falls Road, Belfast, BT2 4PH

Holywood Road J&BO

106-108 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1JU

Knockbreda Road J&BO

210 Upper Knockbreda Road, Belfast, BT8 6SX

Newtownabbey J&BO

39 Church Road, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, BT36 7LB

Shaftesbury Square J&BO

Conor Buildings, 107-111 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2 7AG

Shankill J&BO

15-25 Snugville Street, Belfast, BT13 1PP

Antrim J&BO

90 Castle Street, Antrim, BT41 4JE

Armagh J&BO

10 Alexander Road, Armagh, BT61 7JL

Ballymena SSO

Twickenham House, 59-71 Mount Street, Belfast, BT43 6BT

Ballymoney J&BO

37-47 John Street, Ballymoney, County Antrim, BT53 6DT

Ballynahinch SSO

18 Crossgar Road, Ballynahinch, County Down, BT24 8XP

Banbridge J&BO

18 Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, County Down, BT32 4AZ

Carrickfergus J&BO

1 Davys Street, Carrickfergus, County Antrim, BT38 8DJ

Coleraine J&BO

8 Artillery Road, Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 2AA

Cookstown SSO

38-40 Fairhill Road, Cookstown, County Tyrone, BT80 8AG

Downpatrick SSO

9-11 Mount Crescent, Downpatrick, County Down, BT30 6AU

Dungannon J&BO

36 Thomas Street, Dungannon, County Tyrone, BT70 1EN

Enniskillen J&BO

14 Queen Elizabeth Road, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, BT74 7JD

Foyle J&BO

14 Asylum Road, Londonderry, BT48 7EA

Kikeel J&BO

58 Newry Street, Kilkeel, County Down, BT34 4DR

Larne J&BO

59 Pound Street, Larne, County Antrim, BT40 1SB

Limavady J&BO

9 Connell Street, Limavady, County Londonderry, BT49 0TZ

Lisburn J&BO

69-71 Bow Street, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 1BB

Lisnagelvin J&BO

2 Crescent Road, Lisnagelvin, Londonderry, BT47 2NJ

Lurgan J&BO

10 Alexandra Crescent, Lurgan, County Armagh, BT66 6BD

Magherafelt J&BO

31 Station Road, Magherafelt, County Londonderry, BT45 5DJ

Newcastle SSO

2 Beverley Gardens, Valentia Place, Newcastle, County Down, BT33 0EH

Newry J&BO

40 Bridge Street, Newry, County Down, BT35 8AJ

Newtownards SSO

8 East Street, Newtownards, County Down, BT23 3EL

Omagh J&BO

19 Mountjoy Road, Omagh, County Tyrone, BT79 7BB

Portadown J&BO

84-140 Jervis Street, Portadown, County Armagh, BT62 3DA

Strabane SSO

104 Urney Road, Strabane, County Tyrone, BT82 9BX


Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what flexibility is available for bidders under Workplace 2010 to provide alternative locations for civil service employment. [87274]

Mr. Hanson: The geographical location of civil service employment is not a matter for bidders and as such they will not be invited to provide alternative locations. They will, however, be required to provide flexibility within the terms of the contract to respond quickly and efficiently in the event of future decisions on the location of civil service jobs.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment has been made of the potential for decentralising Civil Service employment under the Government’s plans for Workplace 2010. [87275]

Mr. Hanson: The potential for the decentralisation of civil service jobs has been a key consideration in the development of Workplace 2010. The programme is therefore being progressed on a phased basis. This will ensure that there is sufficient scope and flexibility to relocate civil service jobs within the terms of the contract and as part of a second phase as and when decisions are made.

Young Farmers

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the (a) Scottish Executive and (b) Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have contacted him regarding the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland’s New Entrant Scheme for young farmers. [88596]

David Cairns: There have been no formal approaches from either the Scottish Executive or the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since the New Entrant Scheme was introduced. However there is regular contact among officials in the rural affairs departments across the UK. The scheme and a wide range of other topics on rural development have been covered in these discussions.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the New Entrant Scheme for young farmers. [88597]

David Cairns: Since the launch of the scheme on Monday 6 June 2005, there has been considerable interest from potential applicants. Up to the end of June 2006, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development received 139 applications, which exceeds the first year target. Records show that over half of approved applicants accessed the maximum amount of funding allowed under the scheme. The value of individual projects ranges from £20,000 to £400,000. A total of £4.5 million has been allocated to the scheme.


25 July 2006 : Column 1431W

Education and Skills

Adult Education

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to encourage and expand the number and variety of classes available to adults in non-examination and non-vocational courses in further education. [88809]

Bill Rammell: We are broadly maintaining the overall funding available to support adult learning through to 2007-08 at around £2.9 billion. As I announced last October we have clear priorities for public finding of adult learning. These are to help those without basic literacy and numeracy skills and without the platform of employability represented by a full level 2 qualification. This includes courses which genuinely lead to progression including non vocational and non examination courses. For this reason the then Secretary of State said in her Grant letter to the LSC in October 2005 that she wanted to see a good balance of learning opportunities in every area.

In addition we remain committed to supporting for its own intrinsic value. We have established a safeguard budget of £210 million per annum in each of 2006-07 and 2007-08 for learning for personal and community development. We have asked the LSC to convene local partnerships to plan and co-ordinate this provision so that i) there is a wide range of such good quality learning opportunities in every area ii) there is wider participation in this type of learning and iii) areas of deprivation do not lose out.

Assaults on School Staff

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many assaults on school staff were recorded in East Riding of Yorkshire local education authority in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. [86334]

Jim Knight: The number of assaults on school staff is not collected centrally.

For the academic years 2003/04 and 2004/05, information is available on the reasons for pupil exclusions. These reasons include “physical assault against an adult”. A local authority breakdown for East Riding of Yorkshire of the number of pupils who have been excluded from school (permanently or for a fixed period) for physical assault against an adult, together with total numbers of exclusions, is given in the table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1432W
Maintained primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2) . Permanent and fixed period exclusions for physical assault against an adult( 3) and total number of exclusions (all reasons): Numbers and rates per thousand pupils 2003/04 to 2004/05
East Riding of Yorkshire 2004/05 2003/04

Permanent exclusions

Number of pupils on roll(4)

50,036

50,618

Exclusions for physical assault against an adult

6

3

Exclusions per 1,000 pupils(5)

0.1

0.1

Total number of exclusions (all reasons)

30

68

Total exclusions per 1,000 pupils(5)

0.6

1.3

Fixed period exclusions

Number of pupils on roll(4)

50,036

50,618

Exclusions for physical assault against an adult

100

71

Exclusions per 1,000 pupils(5)

2.0

1.4

Total number of exclusions (all reasons)

2,550

2,796

Total exclusions per 1,000 pupils(5)

51.0

55.2

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained special schools, excludes non-maintained special schools. (3) The distribution of exclusions by reason has been derived from the Termly Exclusions survey and applied to the number of permanent exclusions as confirmed by LEAs as part of the schools census checking exercise. (4) The number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January 2004 and January 2005. (5) The number of exclusions in 2003/04 and 2004/05 divided by how many thousands of pupils were on roll in January 2004 and January 2005.

Background Reading

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement. [87592]

Mr. Dhanda: On taking up my current ministerial post I received background reading material on the policy areas of my Department. I continue to receive reading material on all policy areas as appropriate.

Building Schools for the Future

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools will (i) start construction and (ii) be completed in each of the next three financial years under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and what proportion of those schools will be (A) new build and (B) refurbished or remodelled. [89104]

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a core part of the DfES’ capital strategy, providing a new approach to capital investment in secondary schools.

BSF aims to create world-class, 21st-century schools—environments which will inspire learning for decades to come and provide exceptional assets for the whole community. Subject to future public spending decisions, the intention is to achieve this aim for every secondary school pupil within 15 waves from 2005-06.

    In financial year 2007/08, 13 new schools will open, of which two will be refurbished, and a further 118 will start construction.

    In financial year 2008/09, 34 new schools will open, of which 24 will be refurbished, and a further 200 will start construction.

    In financial year 2009/10, 52 new schools will open, of which 93 will be refurbished, and a further 164 will start construction.


25 July 2006 : Column 1433W

The figures for 2009/10 are indicative as this includes Wave 4 projects which will not be selected until December 2006, and certain Wave 2-3 projects where authorities have not yet finalised their plans.

Primary schools are not covered under the BSF programme. A separate Primaries programme will commence in 2008.

Certificate of Financial Skills

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have completed the Certificate of Financial Skills in each of the last five years for which records are available. [87768]

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors were taken into account by the Learning and Skills Council in its decision not to fund the Certificate of Financial Skills. [87769]

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) determines which qualifications are eligible for funding in school sixth forms. Certificates in Financial Studies have not previously been eligible for LSC funding in school sixth forms and that decision was continued for 2006-07. The LSC may determine that a qualification is ineligible if it is a subsidiary qualification to a main programme, as funding of the main programme would be expected to cover subsidiary qualifications. Funding is also not available for qualifications that are regarded as being part of a pupil’s entitlement—such as Key Skills or CLAIT. The LSC provides per pupil entitlement funding for 16-19 year-olds that can be used for such courses.

The LSC reviews the eligibility of qualifications on a yearly basis and they have recently met with the Institute of Financial Studies to explain the position for 2006-07 and consider the arrangements for 2007-08.

Child Abuse

Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of abuse of children in the home which is committed by (a) men and (b) women; and what assessment has been made of the extent to which such abuse involves (i) a step-parent and (ii) someone in a transient relationship with the child. [88628]

Beverley Hughes: The information required for such an estimate is not collected centrally.

Child Deaths

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public inquiries into the deaths of children in educational establishments have taken place in the past 30 years. [86231]

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills has established no public inquiries into child deaths in educational establishments in England since
25 July 2006 : Column 1434W
1976, nor into child deaths in childcare settings in England, which became the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills in 2002. The Department does, however, provide joint guidance for serious case reviews, which should be held, at local level, where a child has died and abuse or neglect may have been a factor in the child’s death.

Children's Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he plans to collect data on performance against national targets for (a) eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and (b) take-up of sporting opportunities by five to 16-year-olds. [88045]

Mr. Dhanda: The 5 A DAY Programme does not set specific targets for different population groups. The aim of the programme is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among the population as a whole, and promote awareness of the 5 A DAY message within a range of settings including schools.

The FSA Consumer Attitudes Survey 2005 showed that 67 per cent. of people are now aware that they should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, up from 43 per cent. in 2000. Our new nutritional standards for school food will also encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables by our children as these state that at lunch time, there should be at least one portion of fruit and at least one portion of vegetables per child per day, and that at other times of the day a variety of fruit and vegetables should be available in all school food outlets.

The annual school sport survey—carried out on the Department’s behalf by an independent market research company—collects data on the take of physical education and school sport by 5 to 16-year-olds in school within a school sport partnership.

Citizenship Education

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis he is making of the effects of the introduction of citizenship education into the National curriculum. [87326]

Jim Knight: The Department commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2001 to carry out an eight year longitudinal study of the impact of citizenship education on young people. The aims of the study also include identifying, measuring and evaluating the extent to which effective practice in citizenship education develops in schools so that such practice can be promoted widely. The Foundation publishes annual reports tracking the progress of the subject. In addition, citizenship is also covered alongside other subjects in Ofsted inspections.

Classroom Temperature

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discusssions his Department has had with the Health and Safety Executive on minimum and maximum temperatures on school buses; [88787]


25 July 2006 : Column 1435W

(2) what discusssions his Department has had with the Health and Safety Executive in the past 12 months on minimum and maximum temperatures within (a) primary and (b) secondary school classrooms. [88788]

Jim Knight: Minimum temperatures for classrooms are given in the Education (School Premises) Regulations, SI No2,1999 as 18C. My Department has had no discussions with HSE but has recently issued guidance about maximum and minimum temperatures in classrooms on the popular questions website(1). There are also Regulations applying to staff employed at the school, known as The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Regulation (1) states: “During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.” The guidance and Approved Code of Practice accompanying the Workplace Regulations do not specify maximum temperatures. This is because there are a range of factors which contribute to a person’s thermal comfort and more vulnerable people can suffer heat stress and dehydration at much lower temperatures than others.

The Department of Health publishes the Heatwave Plan that provides guidance and advice aimed at the public and ensures those organisations involved in providing health and social care services know what actions to take in preparation for, and in the event of, a heat wave. The Met Office website publishes the latest heat wave alert and forecast threshold temperatures for days ahead. There are certain groups that are particularly at risk during a heat wave and this includes young children especially those

less than four years old.

The Department is not aware of any minimum or maximum temperatures that apply to school buses and have had no discussions with HSE about that.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the responses given today to her questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

    (1 )http://www.dfes.gov.uk/popularquestions/

Collective Worship in Schools

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have opted out of collective worship in schools in (a) Surrey and (b) England in each year since 1997. [88722]

Jim Knight: We do not collect this information centrally.

Common Assessment Framework Submission

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how other practitioners will be prevented from accessing the restricted parts of the form where a parent or young person has given consent only for part at a common assessment framework submission to be shared; and how notice of a restriction will be signalled. [88047]

Beverley Hughes: A practitioner undertaking a common assessment should record on the common assessment framework (CAP) form the details of consent, or partial consent, that has been given to share information. It is the responsibility of the individual
25 July 2006 : Column 1436W
practitioner completing the common assessment to ensure that the information in it is not disclosed to those who should not see it. My Department has published standards for local IT systems to support CAP, which provide for practitioners to be prevented from accessing CAP information where consent has not been given.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what happens to the written submissions by agencies involved in children’s services made under the common assessment framework. [88049]

Beverley Hughes: Where agencies contribute by written submission, the practitioner undertaking the common assessment may reflect the content of the submission in the common assessment, subject to the consent of the child, young person, parent or carer, as appropriate. The practitioner undertaking the common assessment may retain such submissions in his or her case files, subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the paperwork produced when a practitioner carries out a Common Assessment Framework assessment on a child will be submitted direct to the Integrated Children’s System. [88050]

Beverley Hughes: The Integrated Children’s System (ICS) and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) have been developed for different client groups, which overlap only to a limited extent. The ICS contains a record for children known to social services. Many children who have had an assessment using the CAF will not be known to social services, and common assessment information on these children will not be submitted to the ICS. Where, following a common assessment, a child requires the support of social services, the information from the common assessment may be submitted to the ICS where it is appropriate to do so.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures are followed when two or more practitioners want to share the contents of a Common Assessment Framework. [88051]

Beverley Hughes: Where a practitioner, in undertaking a common assessment, has obtained consent for the content to be shared with other practitioners, the appropriate consent will be recorded. How information will be shared may vary according to local circumstances and whether the Common Assessment Framework exists in paper form only or has been recorded on an IT system. However the information is shared, services and practitioners must ensure that information is kept securely and processed according to the provisions of the Data Protection Act. For local authorities who choose to set up local IT systems to support the Common Assessment Framework, my Department has published standards for such systems which provide for a practitioner to specify by name another practitioner who may then have access.


25 July 2006 : Column 1437W

The Department has also issued cross-Government guidance to help practitioners across children’s services understand when and how they can share information legally and professionally.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years. [77279]

Mr. Dhanda [pursuant to the reply, 5 July 2006, Official Report, c. 1225W]: The number of people over the age of 55 years who have been recruited into my Department in each of the last three years is:

Number

2004

6

2005

12

2006 to date

3


These replace the previous numbers given.

Deprived Areas

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation. [87007]

Mr. Dhanda [holding answer 20 July 2006]: This Department makes a significant contribution to reducing low life expectancy through our programmes for children, young people and their families.

Every Child Matters: Change for Children requires all local authorities in England to establish children’s trust arrangements with partners, including Primary Care Trusts and other health services.

This approach ensures that children get the best possible start in life and that they will have the best possible opportunities to fulfil their potential in adulthood. Adults who live fulfilled, secure and stable lives contribute more to society, live healthier lives and are less likely to suffer from the illnesses associated with poverty and social exclusion and which reduce life expectancy.

Although our aim is for all children to benefit from the universal services, we recognise that some children, including those in areas of deprivation, would risk having a lower life expectancy than they might unless there are services to meet their particular needs.

This department is responsible for, or together with other departments makes a significant contribution to, initiatives which can reduce those risks:

    Support for parents and their parenting skills. Parents’ life style is a key determinant of children’s health, and children’s centres provide support, including on health and lifestyle issues, to those parents who need it. The first 884 children’s centres have been established serving many of our most disadvantaged communities;

    Eradicating child poverty: Children born into poverty have a lower life expectancy. Childcare, education and training and
    25 July 2006 : Column 1438W
    other high quality children’s services are both helping parents into work and providing the opportunities to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty;

    Reducing pregnancies among under-18s: infant mortality rates are highest among babies born to young, single mothers;

    Implementing nutritional standards for all food in schools to promote healthy eating;

    Increasing the take up of physical education, sport and other physical activities at school, including increasing walking and cycling to and from school, to encourage healthy exercise;

    Promoting improvements in mental health and emotional well-being for children and young people, so that they are resilient and less likely to take risks or suffer that some poor outcomes;

    Tackling childhood obesity in the short-term, and measures to prevent overweight or obese children becoming obese adults: obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths each year;

    Ensuring children and young people learn about the risks to their health from unsafe sexual activity, tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse, and how they can get help if they have problems.

    This Department has made health inequalities a mandatory target for local authorities in Local Area Agreements (LAAs).

Drugs Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what improvements have been made to drugs education in schools since the re-classification of cannabis. [88021]

Mr. Dhanda: Following the re-classification of cannabis in January 2004 the Department issued comprehensive guidance to schools on drugs (Drugs: Guidance for Schools) which included a clear statement about the importance of educating young people about the legal status and harmful effects of cannabis. We have continued to expand the Personal, Social and Heath Education (PSHE) continuing professional development programme, which includes standards for the teaching of drug education. Over 5,000 teachers and community nurses have benefited from this programme. The numbers of schools involved in the Healthy Schools Programme, which requires schools to have a PSHE programme including drug education, continues to rise. We are on track to reach our target of half of all schools being healthy schools by the end of 2006. In conjunction with the Home Office and Department of Health we have concluded the implementation of the Blueprint drug education research programme and are now analysing the research findings. Blueprint was set up to evaluate an evidence-based multi-component programme of drug education at Key Stage 3. From September secondary schools will have access to a new resource. ‘Understanding Drugs’ provides information on a range of drugs, including cannabis, for pupils aged 11-14 and suggestions for teaching and learning activities within the classroom.

Early-leaver Students

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many and what percentage of students left (a) university and (b) Russell group universities before completion of their course in each of the last five years for which records are available; [88590]


25 July 2006 : Column 1439W

(2) what average percentage of students left non-Russell group universities before completion of their course in each of the last five years for which records are available. [88591]

Bill Rammell: The information is provided by Table 5 of the Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK, published by HESA from 2002/03 and by HEFCE before that. This shows the percentage of full-time, first degree entrants projected to gain their degree, transfer to another course and to neither obtain their degree nor transfer. The latest available figures are shown in the tables.

Full-time first degree entrants expected to neither obtain an award nor transfer
Number
Courses starting in: 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04

UK HE institutions

43,720

41,990

41,555

43,120

46,700

Russell group institutions

4,380

4,130

3,955

4,370

4,890

Non-Russell group institutions

39,340

37,860

37,600

38,750

41,810

Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 so components may not sum to totals. Source: Performance indicators in higher education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Full-time first degree entrants expected to neither obtain an award nor transfer
Percentage
Courses starting in: 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05

UK HE institutions

15.9

15.0

14.1

14.4

14.9

Russell group institutions

7.3

6.6

6.3

6.4

7.2

Non-Russell group institutions

17.4

16.9

16.0

15.8

16.7

Note: Percentages are rounded to the first decimal place. Source: Performance indicators in higher education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

According to figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of (a) administrating and (b) buying allocations for all universities included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme was in its first year of operation. [82737]

Bill Rammell: The information requested is not collected centrally.


25 July 2006 : Column 1440W

Every Child Matters

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what organistional structures his Department supports in developing the proposals in Every Child Matters; and if he will make a statement. [87359]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The local delivery of Every Child Matters is driven by local authority Directors of Children’s Services and Lead Members for Children’s Services working closely with a range of partners through children’s trust arrangements. These arrangements are underpinned by Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 which places the local authority and ‘relevant partners’ under a duty to cooperate to improve children’s well-being in relation to the five Every Child Matters outcomes. Children and Young People’s Plans set out the priorities for improvement, across all local services affecting children and young people, showing how and when they will be achieved. Support and challenge by central Government are mainly provided through the nine regional Government Offices.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how he expects that local authorities will collect data linked to the five outcomes in Every Child Matters when assessing targets and public service agreements; and on what databases that information will be stored. [88048]

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities record data on their performance across the five outcomes through a number of collections that are returned to the DfES. A number of local authorities are now storing information about the five outcomes on children's service databases, and we expect this to become the norm as all local authorities adopt children's services structures. DfES accesses local authorities' children's services data via the internet.

Some of the data collected relate to performance indicators for either an outcome (such as educational attainment) or for a service (for looked after children, for example). In turn, a subset of these performance indicators relate to PSA targets. The performance indicators are used to help form the annual judgment of children's services in the annual performance assessment. The APA dataset is sent to authorities by Ofsted and CSCI, who conduct the APA.

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 year olds achieved five GCSE passes in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87640]

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of 15-year-old(1) pupils achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalents at grades A* to G in maintained schools in each year since 1997.

    (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August


25 July 2006 : Column 1441W

25 July 2006 : Column 1442W
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

City of London

Camden

1,416

1,488

1,444

1,494

1,480

1,284

1,273

1,266

1,271

Hackney

1,050

1,078

1,124

1,092

1,147

1,180

1,249

1,149

1,124

Hammersmith and Fulham

815

832

835

902

930

984

1,008

1,069

1,040

Haringey

1,263

1,406

1,416

1,491

1,472

1,524

1,624

1,799

1,780

Islington

1,054

1,085

1,139

1,075

1,073

1,088

1,108

1,197

1,169

Kensington and Chelsea

478

455

497

490

544

521

524

520

512

Lambeth

1,000

1,072

1,079

1,048

1,092

1,100

1,185

1,233

1,233

Lewisham

1,632

1,727

1,833

1,746

1,885

1,857

1,961

2,022

1,962

Newham

2,323

2,431

2,578

2,732

2,736

2,781

2,862

2,935

3,050

Southwark

1,420

1,431

1,539

1,531

1,574

1,693

1,706

1,787

1,977

Tower Hamlets

1,808

1,929

1,959

2,081

2,185

2,187

2,284

2,237

2,200

Wandsworth

1,365

1,356

1.447

1,476

1,534

1,542

1,478

1,612

1,604

Westminster

1,019

1,002

1,027

1,089

1,079

1,114

1,157

1,231

1,192

Inner London

16,643

17,292

17,917

18,247

18,731

18,855

19,419

20,057

20,114

Barking and Dagenham

1,448

1,424

1,496

1,570

1,559

1,511

1,601

1,722

1,739

Barnet

2,915

2,902

2,920

2,965

3,074

3,137

3,158

3,185

3,099

Bexley

2,304

2,295

2,359

2,443

2,574

2,581

2,755

2,841

3,032

Brent

1,884

1,950

1,977

2,062

2,095

2,375

2,374

2,419

2,392

Bromley

2,775

2,783

2,867

2,759

2,985

3,103

3,107

3,322

3,231

Croydon

2,807

2,786

2,793

2,904

3,037

3,010

3,101

3,279

3,393

Ealing

2,153

2,136

2,181

2,217

2,215

2,228

2,488

2,459

2,400

Enfield

2,763

2,728

2,878

2,938

3,076

3,014

3,035

3,082

3,166

Greenwich

1,909

1,877

1,910

1,935

1,936

1,985

2,014

2,188

2,179

Harrow

1,909

1,901

1,820

1,897

1,885

1,895

1,928

2,065

1,998

Havering

2,581

2,490

2,480

2,465

2,635

2,654

2,688

2,869

2,821

Hillingdon

2,129

2,171

2,224

2,247

2,374

2,315

2,325

2,545

2,578

Hounslow

2,215

2,178

2,202

2,211

2,310

2,316

2,371

2,374

2,418

Kingston upon Thames

1,157

1,169

1,193

1,171

1,227

1,220

1,296

1,340

1,345

Merton

1,292

1,348

1,381

1,319

1,302

1,328

1,321

1,372

1,317

Redbridge

2,383

2,443

2,571

2,763

2,647

2,747

2,854

2,862

2,834

Richmond upon Thames

1,380

1,330

1,359

1,323

1,330

1,309

1,346

1,348

1,336

Sutton

1,836

1,800

1,918

1,916

2,052

2,123

2,142

2,400

2,288

Waltham Forest

1,925

1,994

2,021

2,021

2,106

2,138

2,139

2,302

2,311

Outer London

39,765

39,705

40,550

41,126

42,419

42,989

44,043

45,974

45,877

London

56,408

56,997

58,467

59,373

61,150

61,844

63,462

66,031

65,991


The following table shows the percentage of 15-year-old(1) pupils achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalents at grades A* to G in maintained schools in each year since 1997.


25 July 2006 : Column 1443W

25 July 2006 : Column 1444W
Percentage
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

City of London

Camden

83.8

86.7

87.1

88.4

90.5

89.5

89.6

88.6

87.2

Hackney

78.8

78.8

79.6

77.7

83.1

82 1

89.0

89.6

87.0

Hammersmith and Fulham

80.1

84.8

86.9

87.0

88.4

90.7

89.3

90.3

90.7

Haringey

73.2

77.9

79.6

79.7

79.5

79.6

82.0

83.7

85.2

Islington

75.0

77.2

80.8

78.8

79.4

78.7

84.1

84.8

85.4

Kensington and Chelsea

86.4

82.9

84.8

82.6

92.8

90.9

89.1

89.8

89.0

Lambeth

80.9

85.6

86.2

83.4

85.2

87.2

88.3

90.0

89.3

Lewisham

81.1

84.0

87.6

84.9

85.7

86.8

87.9

88.1

88.8

Newham

86.3

88.9

90.0

91.9

91.5

93.9

93.2

93.6

94.4

Southwark

79.5

79.7

82.7

83.7

84.6

86.7

86.1

86.9

88.0

Tower Hamlets

77.5

85.6

87.4

89.0

88.2

90.7

89.3

90.6

90.2

Wandsworth

82.4

83.0

84.6

85.0

86.1

86.1

82.2

86.3

86.5

Westminster

76.8

78.0

80.7

81.8

84.8

85.1

86.9

87.9

86.6

Inner London

80.1

83.0

84.9

84.9

86.2

87.1

87.7

88.6

88.7

Barking and Dagenham

84.6

84.5

88.1

91.1

90.6

88.8

90.5

88.0

89.6

Barnet

89.6

89.5

89.4

89.7

90.4

91.5

90.6

89.7

91.4

Bexley

91.9

92.0

92.4

92.5

91.1

92.7

92.6

92.4

93.4

Brent

87.5

89.1

89.4

88.9

88.9

90.4

89.7

91.5

91.9

Bromley

92.1

93.5

93.1

93.8

92.8

92.5

91.9

91.8

92.4

Croydon

86.0

86.3

88.2

90.6

90.9

90.4

88.8

90.6

91.2

Ealing

86.8

88.0

90.0

91.5

93.0

90.9

92.8

91.7

93.0

Enfield

87.3

88.5

91.4

91.1

91.5

90.6

90.3

89.8

89.8

Greenwich

79.0

80.5

81.3

83.7

84.1

84.2

85.7

86.7

87.3

Harrow

91.7

91.7

91.3

90.8

92.4

91.4

90.6

92.9

91.5

Havering

92.1

91.5

93.8

92.5

92.2

92.9

93.7

93.6

93.6

Hillingdon

85.4

87.9

88.3

89.7

90.2

88.8

87.0

86.8

87.9

Hounslow

85.2

87.4

87.2

86.1

88.2

89.2

89.8

89.9

92.2

Kingston upon Thames

88.0

88.1

90.0

88.2

89.0

87.8

91.3

90.5

90.3

Merton

82.9

84.8

86.3

85.2

86.4

84.5

84.2

86.0

86.0

Redbridge

91.3

92.7

93.9

95.2

94.2

95.4

94.8

94.9

95.4

Richmond upon Thames

89.2

92.6

91.9

92.2

90.0

89.0

91.1

91.3

89.6

Sutton

91.6

91.6

93.9

94.0

92.7

94.1

92.1

91.3

92.5

Waltham Forest

85.0

86.3

87.3

86.8

89.0

90.9

88.8

88.2

90.8

Outer London

87.9

88.9

90.0

90.4

90.6

90.7

90.5

90.6

91.3

London

85.5

87.0

88.4

88.6

89.2

89.6

89.6

90.0

90.5


Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students achieved five or more GCSE grade A*-C in comprehensive secondary schools of (a) fewer than 100 students, (b) 100 to 199 students, (c) 200 to 299 students, (d) 300 to 399 students, (e) 400 to 499 students, (f) 500 to 599 students, (g) 600 to 700 students and (h) over 700 students in (i) rural areas and (ii) areas not classified as rural in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [87751]

Jim Knight: The information requested can be found in the following table.

GCSE and equivalent achievement of pupils( 1) at the end of Key Stage 4 by the end of 2004/05( 2) in comprehensive schools( 3) in rural and non-rural areas, by size of school
Number of pupils at end of Key Stage 4 Number of pupils at end of Key Stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent Percentage of pupils at end of Key Stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent
Total number of pupils in school (i) Rural schools (ii) Non-rural schools (i) Rural schools (ii) Non-rural schools (i) Rural schools (ii) Non-rural schools

(a) <100

0

9

0

2

22.2

(b) 100-199

228

91

80

75

35.1

82.4

(c) 200-299

69

405

35

198

50.7

48.9

(d) 300-399

485

1,008

258

281

53.2

27.9

(6) 400-499

1,310

4,289

737

1,661

56.3

38.7

(f) 500-599

3,407

10,636

1,938

4,683

56.9

44.0

(g) 600-699

4,192

16,376

2,534

7,789

60.4

47.6

(h) >=700

59,085

421,294

36,281

229,369

61.4

54.4

All schools

68,776

454,108

41,863

244,058

60.9

53.7

(1) Number of pupils on roll at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2004/ 05 academic year. (2) Includes achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Including City Technology Colleges and Academies.

Exclusions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many (a) permanent and (b) fixed period exclusions there were broken down by reason for exclusion, in each London borough for the latest year for which figures are available; [86979]

(2) how many (a) permanent and (b) fixed period exclusions were imposed for bullying in each local education authority in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [86980]

Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the House Library.

Only two years of data relating to the reason for exclusion are currently available. The first year for which information on the reason for exclusion is
25 July 2006 : Column 1445W
available relates to the 2003/04 academic year. Exclusions data for 2004/05 academic year were published in June 2006.

GCSE/A-levels

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils achieved grade C or above in (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c)
25 July 2006 : Column 1446W
physics, (d) chemistry and (e) history in each year since 1997, broken down by region. [86437]

Jim Knight: The following tables show the number of 15-year-old pupils(1) achieving a grade C or above at GCSE in each year since 1997, in mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, and history, broken down by region.

(a) Number of 15- year- old pupils( 1) achieving a grade C or above in mathematics GCSE
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

North East

11.7

11.7

12.3

13.0

14.0

14.4

14.0

15.0

15.1

North West

28.9

35.6

37.8

38.9

41.1

42.8

42.1

45.2

46.2

Merseyside(2)

6.5

Yorkshire and Humberside

23.2

23.2

24.1

25.3

26.4

27.4

27.5

29.7

31.0

East Midlands

21.0

20.6

21.9

22.2

23.8

24.9

24.8

26.4

27.7

West Midlands

25.5

25.8

27.8

28.5

30.2

31.7

31.2

33.2

34.9

East

30.3

30.2

30.6

31.7

33.5

34.6

34.7

36.9

38.7

London

30.6

31.5

32.7

34.0

36.3

38.2

39.2

42.4

44.0

South East

45.9

44.5

46.4

47.7

50.8

52.2

53.4

56.1

58.4

South West

26.6

26.9

27.5

28.6

30.4

31.6

31.8

33.9

35.4


(b) Number of 15—year-old pupils( 1) achieving a grade C or above in English GCSE
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

North East

14.2

13.9

14.9

15.4

15.9

16.1

16.7

17.2

17.0

North West

33.5

41.7

44.6

45.3

46.7

48.0

49.2

50.6

51.3

Merseyside(2)

8.1-

-

Yorkshire and Humberside

27.1

26.7

28.7

29.5

30.5

31,9

32.9

34.0

34.7

East Midlands

24.7

24.3

25.4

26.0

27.3

28.3

29.2

30.0

30.4

West Midlands

31.0

31.3

33.2

33.7

35.2

36.2

37.2

37.7

39.1

East

34.2

34.2

35.3

36.1

37.6

38.6

39.9

41.2

42.7

London

35.9

37.1

39.0

39.7

41.4

42.9

45.0

47.6

49.0

South East

52.6

51.6

53.7

54.2

56.6

57.8

60.9

62.6

64.4

South West

30.9

30.9

32.0

32.6

34.0

35.5

36.6

38.3

39.0


(c) Number of 15-year-old pupils( 1) achieving a grade C or above in physics GCSE
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

North East

1.8

1.8

2.0

2.0

1.9

1.8

1.8

1.8

2.0

North West

3.7

5.4

5.2

5.0

5.1

4.9

4.9

5.1

5.2

Merseyside(2)

1.5

Yorkshire and Humberside

2.8

2.7

2.8

2.8

2.9

2.8

2.6

3.0

3.2

East Midlands

1.5

1.7

1.8

1.8

1.9

2.1

2.1

2.3

2.8

West Midlands

3.0

3.6

3.6

3.6

3.6

3.6

3.9

4.1

4.3

East

2.6

2.7

2.8

3.0

3.1

3.4

3.5

4.0

4.1

London

3.8

4.0

4.2

4.1

4.2

4.2

4.8

5.3

5.7

South East

6.6

6.9

7.5

7.6

8.0

8.0

8.2

8.9

9.5

South West

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.8

4.0

4.0

4.2

4.3

4.8



25 July 2006 : Column 1447W

25 July 2006 : Column 1448W
(d) Number of 15-year-old pupils( 1) achieving a grade C or above in chemistry GCSE
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

North East

1.9

1.9

2.0

2.0

1.8

1.8

1.8

1.8

2.0

North West

3.9

5.5

5.3

5.1

5.2

5.1

5.1

5.2

5.2

Merseyside(2)

1.6

Yorkshire and Humberside

2.9

2.8

2.8

2.8

2.9

2.8

2.7

3.0

3.1

East Midlands

1.6

1.8

1.8

1.9

1.9

2.1

2.1

2.3

2.8

West Midlands

3.0

3.6

3.5

3.6

3.6

3.7

4.0

4.1

4.4

East

2.6

2.7

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

4.0

4.2

London

3.9

4.2

4.3

4.2

4.3

4.3

4.9

5.4

5.7

South East

6.7

7.0

7.6

7.6

8.1

8.0

8.3

8.8

9.6

South West

3.3

3.5

3.5

3.7

4.0

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.9


(e) Number of 15 year old pupils( 1) achieving a grade C or above in history GCSE
Thousand
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

North East

5.8

5.3

5.4

5.3

5.7

5.4

5.4

5.6

5.4

North West

13.3

15.5

15.8

16.1

16.5

16.7

16.2

17.1

17.7

Merseyside(2)

3.3

Yorkshire and Humberside

11.2

9.9

10.6

10.9

11.1

11.0

11.5

11.9

12.0

East Midlands

9.3

8.5

9.0

9.2

9.4

9.9

10.2

10.7

10.9

West Midlands

12.6

11.4

12.4

12.3

12.6

12.9

13.4

14.0

14.0

East

14.2

13.6

13.9

14.3

14.4

14.6

14.9

16.3

17.0

London

14.9

14.4

14.4

14.9

15.6

15.6

16.3

18.0

18.6

South East

21.5

19.9

20.5

21.3

21.9

21.9

23.0

24.6

24.9

South West

11.7

11.7

11.6

12.3

12.4

12.8

12.9

13.8

14.3

(1 )Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August. (2 )Merseyside was absorbed into North West post-1997.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students failed to turn up for at least one examination in each of the past five years at (a) GCSE and (b) A level. [86861]

Jim Knight: The information requested on students who fail to turn up for examinations is not held centrally by the Department.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of 15-year-olds achieved (a) five or more, (b) seven or more and (c) nine or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent in each year since 1996. [87895]

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the following table:

Number and percentage of 15-year-old pupils( 1) achieving the following GCSEs or equivalents 5 or more A*-C grades
5 or more A*-C grades 7 or more A*-C grades 9 or more A*-C grades
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage

1996

264,537

44.5

175,509

34.1

108,277

21.0

1997

264,892

45.1

177,338

34.8

110,904

21.7

1998

266,431

46.3

178,848

35.3

111,389

22.0

1999

278,560

47.9

190,776

33.5

122,098

21.4

2000

285,727

49.2

196,402

34.7

126,502

22.4

2001

301,617

50.0

245,460

39.5

170,293

27.4

2002

312,739

51.6

255,352

40.7

179,470

28.6

2003

329,382

52.9

269,471

42.9

190,494

30.3

2004

345,604

53.7

283,863

43.8

205,144

31.6

2005

358,598

56.3

296,889

46.6

219,355

34.5

(1) Aged 15 at the start of the academic year ie 31 August.

Homophobic Bullying

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department takes to ensure that homophobic bullying in (a) boarding and (b) private schools is properly addressed. [88118]

Jim Knight: All independent schools in England must be registered with my Department. All registered schools have to meet the standards set out in the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, as amended, which cover six main areas including the quality of the education provided; the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils; and the welfare, health and safety of pupils. Schools are required to draw up and implement effectively, a written policy to prevent all kinds of bullying.

In the White Paper, “Higher Standards, Better Education for All”, we gave an undertaking to issue guidance on bullying motivated by prejudice, including homophobia, providing school staff with valuable support in an area they often find challenging. We are currently developing a programme to tackle this issue.

Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to inform parents of the possible risks of allowing their children to use the internet unsupervised. [88802]


25 July 2006 : Column 1449W

Mr. Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills has for several years, through the parents online site and later from January 2005 through the parents centre site, provided advice and guidance to parents on using the internet safely with their children. This includes advice on the potential risks of using the internet unsupervised.

The Department has also funded Childnet International—a charitable organisation—to produce safety materials, and new additional materials specifically aimed at parents and for use in the home that will be available in the autumn.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to teach children about the possible risks of using the internet. [88844]

Mr. Dhanda: ICT is compulsory for pupils aged five to 16 and covers analysis, evaluation and responsible use of electronic information, including the internet.

The Department has worked closely with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Becta, the lead agency for ICT in schools, on developing resources and guidance for schools. Schools are encouraged to integrate e-safety messages across the curriculum and implement policies and safe practices on internet use.

The Internet Proficiency Scheme was developed by the Department, QCA and Becta. Aimed at primary schools, it helps teachers educate children on staying safe on the internet. At secondary level, the Becta publication, ‘Signposts to safety’ provides advice on teaching internet safety at Key Stages 3 and 4.

IT Projects

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [87177]

Phil Hope: The information as requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Education and Skills. To respond fully would involve an extensive internal and external information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold.

Life Skills

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the introduction of life skills into the national curriculum. [87953]

Jim Knight: The national curriculum has the statutory aim of preparing pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. In addition to this, a non statutory framework for personal, social and health education (PSHE) was introduced in 2000. PSHE presents opportunities to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding to lead confident, healthy and independent lives. Citizenship education
25 July 2006 : Column 1450W
which covers social and moral responsibility, political literacy and community involvement, was introduced as a statutory subject in 2002.

The Ofsted inspection framework includes an assessment of how schools are addressing learners’ personal development and well-being as well as assessing the quality of provision in schools. The impact of citizenship is being assessed by an eight year longitudinal study which the Department commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2001 to carry out.

London Olympics

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to use the Olympics as a way of encouraging more women into the construction sector. [88205]

Phil Hope: In preparation for the Olympics, Construction Skills have set up a team ‘Constructing London 2012’ to identify the skills needed to deliver the Games. They are working closely with the LSC to identify training requirements and how best to attract women into the sector. In the recent White Paper “Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances”, the Government announced a £20 million per annum package to tackle the barriers many women face in the labour market. This includes a London based Train to Gain pilot project focusing on training at level 3 for occupational areas where women are under-represented. It also includes testing new recruitment and career pathways in sectors where women face barriers to the labour market.

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he last met his Scottish counterpart; and what subjects were discussed. [88776]

Mr. Dhanda: I have not met the Scottish Minister for Education and Young People since becoming Secretary of State for Education and Skills.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87648]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills decorated the ministerial office in the financial year 2004/05 only.

Modern Apprenticeships

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school leavers in (a) West Lancashire constituency, (b) Lancashire, (c) the North West and (d) England have taken up a modern apprenticeship after completion of their GCSEs in each year since 1997. [83540]


25 July 2006 : Column 1451W

Phil Hope: The Apprenticeship programme continues to go from strength to strength with record numbers of young people participating and completion rates continuing to improve. Numbers of school leavers (i.e. 16 year olds) who have taken up an Apprenticeship in England since 2002-03 are as follows:

Apprenticeships (at level 2) Advanced Apprenticeships (at level 3) Total Apprenticeships (at levels 2 & 3)

2004-05

45,125

8,912

54,037

2003-04

43,110

9,174

52,284

2002-03

41,711

10,383

52,094


The Learning Skills Council will be able to provide further data on Apprenticeship numbers broken down by region, however they can only report on data from 2001-02 onwards as work-based learning data before this is not available in the same way. The Council’s Chief Executive Mark Haysom has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Mark Haysom , dated 25 July 2006:

    I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked how many school leavers in.

    West Lancashire Constituency,

    Lancashire Local LSC area,

    North West region

    and England,

    have taken up Modern Apprenticeship after completion of their GCSE’s each year since 1997.

    The information in the table shows the volumes of learners who started on Advanced Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship programmes for each year since 2002/03. This data for 16-18 year olds, is used as a proxy for school leavers in this analysis. The data is for each geographical area as requested. Consistent and comparable data for Work Based Learning is only available for analysis from 2002/03 onwards, which is the first full year of the operation of the LSC.


25 July 2006 : Column 1452W
LSC funded 16-18 starts to Advanced Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships
West Lancashire Lancashire LSC area North West Region England

2002-03

288

3,810

18,867

102,643

2003-04

246

3,321

15,464

90,378

2004-05

259

3,879

18,432

102,327

Note:
Figures are based on age at the start of training. Location of a learner is linked to their home postcode.
Source:
Work Based Learning ILR, LSC July 2006

    The successful continuation of Work Based Learning has been recently highlighted in the Statistical First Releases for participation and success rates for the 2004/05 academic year. Most notably, the average number in learning on Apprenticeships in 2004/05 increased by 7.6% over 2003/04 and the trend away from NVQ Training towards Apprenticeships has continued. Current success rates for complete frameworks in all types of Apprenticeships have increased by 9 percentage points to 40% in 2004/05 and are currently running at over 50% for the 2005/06 academic year.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many modern apprenticeships are being undertaken, broken down by responsible sector skills councils. [88203]

Phil Hope: There are over 180 different Apprenticeship (formerly called Foundation Modem Apprenticeship) or Advanced Apprenticeship (formerly called Advanced Modern Apprenticeship) frameworks on offer to potential learners; the responsibility for each framework lies within an appropriate Sector Skills Council’s remit. Accurate data on numbers of Apprenticeships by Sector Skills Council are not held centrally at present. In lieu of the fact that accurate figures are not held, a lower level disaggregation is provided in the following table which shows 2004/05 Apprenticeships (average numbers in learning) broken down by sector framework (numbers are rounded up to the nearest 10).


25 July 2006 : Column 1453W

25 July 2006 : Column 1454W

25 July 2006 : Column 1455W

25 July 2006 : Column 1456W
Average in learning
Sector framework title Advanced Apprenticeships Apprenticeships Total

Accountancy

2,590

2,590

Active Leisure and Learning

1,240

1,240

Advice and Guidance

20

20

Agricultural Crops and Livestock

290

570

850

Amenity Horticulture

160

160

Animal Care

90

90

Apparel

10

10

Arts and Entertainment, Cultural Heritage, Information and Library Services

90

90

Automotive Industry

14,190

14,190

Aviation

20

20

Bakery

30

30

Barbering

10

10

Beauty Therapy

340

340

Building Services Engineers

160

160

Business Administration

4,670

14,200

18,870

Carry and Deliver Goods

210

210

Ceramics

30

30

Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Retro-Chemical Manufacturing and Refining Industries

170

40

200

Children’s Care Learning and Development

6,920

8,940

15,860

Cleaning and Support Service Industry

10

10

Coatings Development Plan

10

10

Coca Cola

40

40

Communications Technologies (Telecoms)

2,670

2,670

Community Justice

60

60

Construction

3,870

20,380

24,250

Contact Centres

220

220

Cultural Heritage

10

10

Customer Service

4,450

4,450

Dental Nursing

430

430

Design

10

10

Driving Goods Vehicles

440

440

Electrical and Electronic Servicing

100

100

Electricity Industry

450

450

Electrotechnical

12,680

2,470

15,150

Emergency Fire Service Operations

90

90

Engineering

17,410

10,370

27,770

Engineering Construction

620

10

630

Environmental Conservation

30

30

Equine Industry

510

510

Farriery

70

70

Floristry

40

40

Food and Drink Manufacturing Operations

30

30

Furniture Industry

170

170

Gas Industry

870

870

Glass Industry

230

230

Hairdressing

3,110

3,110

Health and Social Care

3,700

3,700

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

1,420

1,420

Hospitality and Catering

4,930

4,930

Housing

20

20

Industrial Applications

10

10

Information and Library Services

10

10

Insurance

290

290

International Trade and Services

30

30

IT Services and Development

1,400

1,400

IT User

90

90

Jewellery, Silversmithing and Allied Trades

10

10

Laboratory Technicians (Generic)

20

20

Land-based Service Engineering

220

220

Learning and Development (Direct Training and Support)

10

10

Management

870

870

Man-Made Fibres

10

10

Marine Industry

380

380

Meat and Poultry Processing

10

10

Metals Industry

100

60

150

Newspaper Industry

10

10

Occupational Health and Safety Practice

30

30

Oil and Gas Extraction

10

10

Operating Department Practice

Optical Advisor

30

30

Payroll

10

10

Personnel

10

10

Pharmacy Technicians

40

40

Photo Imaging

20

20

Plumbing

3,260

5,560

8,810

Polymer Processing and Signmaking

20

60

80

Ports Industry

10

10

Printing

600

600

Procurement

10

10

Production Horticulture

10

10

Property Services

210

210

Providing Financial Services (Banks and Building Societies)

10

10

Rail Transport Engineering

180

180

Retail

1,190

7,530

8,720

Saddlery

10

10

Sales and Telesales

10

10

Sea Fishing

10

10

Security Industry

210

210

Sporting Excellence

530

530

Storage and Warehousing

10

10

Teaching Assistants

10

10

Textiles

100

100

Transport Engineering and Maintenance

190

190

Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business

1,680

430

2,110

Trees and Timber

10

10

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

10

10

Veterinary Nursing

110

110

Water Industry

10

10

Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage

70

70

Grand total

101,500

70,560

172,060

Source:
WBL 2004/05ILR, Learning and Skills Council July 2006

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) age profile, (b) sex profile and (c) success rate is of individuals who are undertaking modern apprenticeship schemes. [88204]

Bill Rammell: Apprenticeships are the main programme for young employed people seeking qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3.

The following table shows numbers of Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships in 2004-05 by age and gender, and the corresponding success rates.

Type of apprenticeship programme Age Gender Average in learning( 1) Current framework success rate (Percentage) Overall framework success rate (Percentage)

Advanced

16-18

Female

10,954

36

32

Advanced

16-18

Male

46,414

44

42

Advanced

19+

Female

20,238

30

26

Advanced

19+

Male

24,203

39

36

Apprenticeship

16-18

Female

45,864

43

41

Apprenticeship

16-18

Male

56,673

39

38

Apprenticeship

19+

Female

24,992

41

38

Apprenticeship

19+

Male

26,871

38

37

(1 )Average in learning is defined as the average number of learners in learning in any period Notes: Age is based on the age of the learner at the start of the course
Source: WBL 2004/05ILR, Learning & Skills Council

Two measures of success rate are shown in the table. Current success rates for those completing an Apprenticeship or Advanced Apprenticeship have been published for a number of years. The need for the development of an overall success rate as a broad comparator with FE for similar learning aims was outlined in the Success for All programme and figures were published for the first time this year. Both ‘overall’ and ‘current’ success rates are shown in Table 7 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Further Education and Work-Based Learning for Young People—Learner Outcomes in England 2004-05(’) published by the LSC on 11 April 2006. A link to the website is at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000649/index.shtml. Page 9 of the SFR provides further details on the different definitions of the two rates.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many modern apprenticeships have been undertaken in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster in each of the last eight years. [88380]


25 July 2006 : Column 1457W

Phil Hope: Figures for those participating in Apprenticeships (previously called Modern Apprenticeships) funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). This was collated for the first time in 2001/02 (as an Interim ILR) and consistent and comparable figures are currently only available for the three following years.

The following tables show the total number of Apprentices in Barnsley and Doncaster for each year from 2002/03 to 2004/05.

Advanced Apprenticeship Apprenticeship Total

Barnsley

2002/03

740

1,500

2,240

2003/04

650

1,650

2,300

2004/05

620

1,650

2,270

Doncaster

2002/03

1,030

2,270

3,300

2003/04

970

2,300

3,270

2004/05

960

2,380

3,340


Music A-level

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources allocated to the teaching of music A-level; and if he will make a statement. [88010]

Jim Knight: It is for individual schools and colleges to decide which qualifications they offer post 16 and to allocate the necessary resources to deliver those qualifications.

National Vocational Qualifications

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 392W, on National Vocational Qualifications, how many National Vocational Qualifications were awarded in food preparation and cooking in 2005-06. [88839]

Phil Hope: There were 17,200 National Vocational Qualifications in food preparation and cookery awarded in 2004-05, which is the latest year for which information is available.

Outsourcing

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what administrative functions for which his Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment he has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas. [81548]

Mr. Dhanda: A complete answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, from the information we have available, we do not appear to have outsourced any administrative functions overseas. The Department complies with European law and the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement
25 July 2006 : Column 1458W
and has no plans to outsource administrative functions overseas. We will consider the position for individual functions whenever appropriate.

Partially Selective Schools

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many partially selective secondary schools there are within the maintained sector in England. [85975]

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally as admission arrangements are set locally, after an annual consultation process.

However, we are aware of 35 schools which operate partial selection by ability or aptitude which it would not now be lawful to introduce. This is not a definitive number of such schools, and does not include those who since 1997/98 have introduced selection by aptitude of up to 10 per cent. of their intake.

Private Finance Initiative Contracts

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities are expected to conclude new private finance initiative contracts in 2006-07. [88669]

Jim Knight: The following local authorities are expected to sign private finance initiative (PFI) contracts in 2006-07 :

    Peterborough—July 2006

    Lewisham—July 2006

    Slough—August/September 2006

    Salford—September 2006

    Plymouth—December 2006

    Doncaster—March 2007.

Primary School Teachers

Ms Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of teachers in primary schools in England was male (a) in 1977 and (b) on the latest date for which information is available. [89146]

Jim Knight: In March 1977 23 per cent. of full-time regular qualified teachers employed in maintained primary schools were male compared to 15.7 per cent. in March 2004 (provisional). This is the latest year for which figures are available.

A time series showing the proportion of men in the teaching population between 1997 and 2004 can be found in table D4 at the following link at:

    http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000633/Additionald.xls

Pupil Exclusions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many permanent and fixed period exclusions took place in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each local education authority in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by reason for exclusion. [88568]


25 July 2006 : Column 1459W

Jim Knight: The requested information has been placed in the House Library.

Pupil Statistics

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many schools 50 per cent.
25 July 2006 : Column 1460W
or more of the pupils do not have English as their first language, broken down by region. [86435]

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.

Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number of schools by percentage of school population whose first language is known or believed to be other than English( 2,3) —as at January 2006 (provisional)—by Government office region
Number of schools
Percentage of school population whose first language is known or believed to be other than English is:
Less than 50 50 or more All schools
Primary Secondary Primary Secondary Primary Secondary

England

16,424

3,189

1,080

178

17,504

3,367

North East

922

206

8

0

930

206

North West

2,462

460

119

14

2,581

474

Yorkshire and the Humber

1,780

304

111

19

1,891

323

East Midlands

1,657

292

51

7

1,708

299

West Midlands

1,725

387

129

26

1,854

413

East of England

2,038

423

27

5

2,065

428

Inner London

347

79

348

53

695

132

Outer London

888

219

248

50

1,136

269

South East

2,659

499

31

4

2,690

503

South West

1,946

320

8

0

1,954

320

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified according to their first language. Source: Schools Census

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the pupil-teacher ratio was in primary schools in Swindon in each year since 1997; [86634]

(2) what the pupil-teacher ratio was in secondary schools in Swindon in each year between 1997 and 2006. [86968]

Jim Knight: The following table provides the pupil-teacher ratio in maintained primary and secondary schools in Swindon local authority in each January from 1997 to 2005 (the latest year for which information is available at local authority level). Information for England from 1997 to 2006 is also given to enable comparison.

It is anticipated that local authority level information for January 2006 will be published in September.

Pupil-teacher ratios( 1) in maintained primary and secondary schools in Swindon local authority and England, January 1997 to 2006
Primary Secondary
Swindon England Swindon England

1997(2)

n/a

23.4

n/a

16.7

1998

25.1

23.7

17.7

16.9

1999

25.0

23.5

18.0

17.0

2000

24.2

23.3

17.8

17.2

2001

24.0

22.9

17.2

17.1

2002

23.2

22.5

17.3

16.9

2003

23.7

22.6

18.0

17.0

2004

24.1

22.7

17.7

17.0

2005

23.6

22.5

18.1

16.7

2006(3)

n/a

22.0

n/a

16.6

(1) The pupil-teacher ratio is the full-time equivalent number of pupils divided by the full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers. Dually registered pupils are excluded.
(2) Swindon local authority was created in the local government reorganisation of 1.4.97.
(3) Provisional.
Source:
Annual School Census

Recycling in Schools

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what targets he has set for school recycling; [86458]

(2) how much school waste was recycled in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has to encourage schools to increase their recycling of waste; [86459]

(3) what discussions he has had with private companies on the promotion of school recycling initiatives and environmental awareness campaigns; [86460]


25 July 2006 : Column 1461W

(4) how much school waste has been recycled by private companies in the last 10 years; [86461]

(5) what discussions he has had with European Governments on the recycling of school waste. [86464]

Mr. Dhanda: Central Government have not set any specific recycling targets for schools. There are targets for local authority recycling of household waste which does not include waste from schools. We do not know how much school waste has been recycled in the last 10 years.

As part of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) proposed Sustainable Schools Strategy we encourage schools to recycle their waste. In May we launched the Sustainable Schools Consultation introducing the national framework(1). The consultation describes eight key doorways that schools can work towards to become more Sustainable one of which is “purchasing and waste”. By 2020 our aim is for all schools to be models of resource efficiency, recycling, repairing and reusing as much as possible. We are also working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who are promoting recycling in schools through funding of the Eco-Schools Award Scheme, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and various projects funded through the Environment Action Fund.

DfES has discussed school recycling and environmental awareness campaigns with waste management companies, in particular regarding projects which were supported by the former landfill tax credit scheme which operated up until 2004.

DfES has not had discussions with European Governments on the recycling of school waste.

    (1) www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools

Religious Schools/Studies

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure the preservation of the ethos of religious schools when the provisions in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 which replace external advisers appointed by a school’s governing body with a schools improvement inspector appointed by the local authority come into force. [88598]

Jim Knight: We are introducing school improvement partners (SIPs) to support the accountability that local authorities have for the standards and levels of attainment in their schools. When local authorities appoint SIPs to schools we expect them to pay attention to the preferences, needs and characteristics, including religious characteristics, of individual schools and their governing bodies, and we expect SIPs to be responsive to the individual circumstances and characteristics of the schools they work with, including their religious characteristics. The national assessment for people seeking accreditation to be SIPs stresses this expectation. It is designed to withhold accreditation from anybody who might work with a school without taking account of the ethos and other features of the school. These expectations are set out clearly for local authorities and SIPs to support introduction of the SIP programme.


25 July 2006 : Column 1462W

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department takes to ensure that private schools teach religious studies appropriately. [88117]

Jim Knight: All independent schools in England must be registered with my Department. All registered schools have to meet the standards set out in the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, as amended, which cover six main areas including the quality of the education provided; the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils; and the welfare, health and safety of pupils. Schools are required to assist pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures in a way which promotes tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions.

Run-away Children

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the role of helplines in the provision of services for children and young people who run away; and what plans he has to extend that role. [88937]

Beverley Hughes: Helplines are one of a number of ways in which children who run away, or are thinking about running, can get help. The National Missing Person’s Helpline is one, which this year has received about £900,000 central Government funding. Other helplines available to young people in crisis, such as Connexions Direct and others run by voluntary and community organisations, do an important job advising runaways and their families.

But other sources of help and support are vital too. Children who run away need someone to talk to, but they also need help with the underlying problems that make them run. This should include prevention, mediation and other support services. The availability of such services is for local authorities to determine, according to local need. Local children’s services continue to provide the most effective and direct route to help runaways, and those at risk of running away. Government are driving forward improvements to all such services, for all children, through the Every Child Matters programme.

Recent projects have tested how best to provide responsive community-based services—including local helpline provision—within local authorities children’s services. We will disseminate the full lessons learnt from these to local authorities later this year. Future plans will be informed by these pilots, as well as by our current discussions with key stakeholders such as Children’s Society and regional and local authorities.

School Meals

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in (a) Brent East and (b) Brent (i) are entitled to and (ii) claim free school meals. [87500]

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the following table:


25 July 2006 : Column 1463W

25 July 2006 : Column 1464W
Maintained Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools( 1) : School Meal Arrangements( 2) January 2006( 3)
Number on roll Number of pupils taking free school meals ( 3) Percentage taking free school meals Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

Maintained Nursery and Primary

England

4,188,996

556,057

13.3

670,612

16.0

Brent

23,387

5,523

23.6

6,338

27.1

Brent East

7,886

1,704

22.2

1,998

26.0

Maintained Secondary

England

3,310,034

328,642

9.9

440,611

13.6

Brent

16,418

2,695

16.4

3.701

22.5

Brent East

2,826

740

26.2

966

34.2

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed (2) Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils. (3) Provisional (4) Number of pupils who took a free school meal on the day of the census in January. Source: Schools Census

School Premises

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the condition of school premises; [89116]

(2) what the cost was of outstanding repairs to school buildings identified by the 2005 Asset Management Survey; and when he will publish the full results of that survey; [89117]

(3) what the value was of outstanding repairs to school buildings in each year since 2002; and what proportion of this repair work has since been carried out. [89118]

Jim Knight: Based on data supplied to the Department over recent months by local education authorities, it is estimated that schools have repair and maintenance requirements of approximately £8.8 billion. This compares with £9.0 billion and £8.8 billion shown in data received in 2001 and 2003 respectively. Costs have been updated to current prices. In addition to backlog repair work, the figures cover work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments from which the data are derived, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance. The cost of urgent work has reduced by approximately 30 per cent. against the data received in 2001.

Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £5.5 billion in 2005-06 and will rise further to over £8 billion by 2010-11. While reducing maintenance requirements is a long term aim, the primary objectives for funding are to raise educational standards and tackle local deprivation. A substantial proportion of capital funding is targeted at transformational programmes, such as Building Schools for the Future and the primary capital programme. Over time, these programmes will significantly reduce future maintenance requirements.

The data received over recent months, referred to above, are currently being appraised and the Department is working with authorities where necessary to secure improvements in their asset management processes. Detailed national analysis will be published on completion of the appraisal.

School Testing

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the level of testing in schools; and if he will make a statement. [87954]

Jim Knight: The levels of testing have remained consistent for a number of years. There are three sets of national tests in the first nine years of education. This requirement for independent, objective evidence of performance is by no means excessive when set alongside the billions of pounds of public money that are invested in the education system each year.

The total number of statutory test papers taken during this time would amount to about 20.

The Key Stage 1 tests and tasks are not strictly timed and can be administered flexibly over an extended period.

The Key Stage 2 tests amount to a total of 5 hours 15 minutes spread over a week; in a key stage that covers four years, this represents about 0.14 per cent. of the available teaching time.

The Key Stage 3 tests amount to a total of 7 hours 40 minutes spread over a week; in a three-year key stage, this represents less than 0.2 per cent. of the available teaching time.

This relatively small commitment of time is vastly outweighed by the valuable information that can be provided by testing.

We believe the current level of assessment for English, maths and science is appropriate.

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the required toilet to (a) male and (b) female pupil ratio is in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools. [86981]


25 July 2006 : Column 1465W

Jim Knight: To comply with the 1999 School Premises Regulations, mainstream schools should have at least one WC or urinal per 20 pupils over five years of age. Washroom facilities must be adequate, having regard to the ages, sexes, numbers of pupils and any special requirements that they may have.

Secondary Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the proposed reform of the secondary education system on the number of jobs in the sector. [88808]

Jim Knight: Decisions about staffing levels in schools are taken by individual governing bodies, based on the delegated funding they receive. Nothing in the Education and Inspections Bill changes this—it will still be for schools to determine their own staffing levels and structures.

Selective Mutism

Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) pursuant to his answer of 13 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1101-02W, on selective mutism, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that education experts and schools are aware of the video, DVD and accompanying book on selective mutism; [88605]

(2) what steps his Department, Executive agencies, local authorities and individual schools are required to take to (a) fund and (b) provide advice and assistance in relation to selective mutism. [88732]

Mr. Dhanda: Publicising and disseminating particular resources would be a matter for the originating party, rather than the Department. However, we do operate an inclusion website http://inclusion.nqfl.gov.uk which includes information on available materials relevant to special educational needs and disability. It is open to organisations to publicise their resources through that.

As mentioned in our previous answer, the Department has not issued any recent guidance specifically on selective mutism, although it is one of a number of communication difficulties addressed in our early support publication “Speech and language difficulties”, published in 2005. This publication includes contact details for the Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA).

It would be for individual local authorities, schools and early years settings to determine whether there was a case for developing local materials or training sessions on selective mutism.

Special Educational Needs Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to ensure that local authority provision for children with special educational needs is dependent on need rather than local budgetary or resource considerations; and if he will make a statement. [87961]


25 July 2006 : Column 1466W

Mr. Dhanda: The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice, issued by the Secretary of State in 2001 is statutory guidance. It gives guidance to schools and local authorities on their duties under the Education Act 1996 to identify, assess and make provision for children with special educational needs. Most children with SEN are supported from within the resources available to their school. But local authorities have a duty, where necessary, to carry out statutory SEN assessments and make and maintain SEN statements specifying the provision that an individual child's special educational needs call for. Local authorities have to arrange the special educational provision required to meet the child’s needs and make available the necessary funding for that provision.

Local authorities may fund specialist support services, such as SEN specific outreach teams, in order to help schools meet children’s needs. The profile of such central services is a matter for local decision.

Special Educational Needs Schools

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special schools for children with (a) special educational needs and (b) behavioural, emotional and social difficulties there were in each local education authority area in each year since 1997. [86012]

Jim Knight [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The available information has been placed in the House Library.

The information given in the table has been taken from two different sources. Information on numbers of maintained and non maintained special schools has been taken from Schools’ Census returns and a time series has been provided.

Sex Education

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department takes to ensure that private and boarding schools teach sex education appropriately and sufficiently. [88116]

Mr. Dhanda: All independent schools in England must be registered with my Department. All registered schools have to meet the standards set out in the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, as amended, which cover six main areas including the quality of the education provided; the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils; and the welfare, health and safety of pupils. The standards require all independent schools to provide personal, social and health education, which reflects the ethos and aims of the school.

Skills for Life

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the participants in the Skills for Life Strategy are (a) male and (b) female. [88244]

Phil Hope: Between 2001 and July 2005, the Skills for Life Strategy has helped 1,275,000 people improve their literacy, language or numeracy skills. Figures from
25 July 2006 : Column 1467W
2003/04, the last year for which confirmed figures are currently available, show that 45 per cent. of Sills for Life achievements were by males and 55 per cent. were by females. The aim of the Skills for Life Strategy is to help all learners who may be at disadvantage in life and at work through poor skills to improve their literacy, language and numeracy ability so that they are better able to support their families, contribute to community life and perform successfully at work.

Smacking

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will undertake (a) an assessment of and (b) public consultation upon the merits of measures to ban the smacking of children by their parents. [87807]

Mr. Dhanda: Section 58 of the Children Act 2004, which was passed by a free vote in the House of Lords, and another free vote in the Commons, removed the defence of reasonable chastisement for offences of Actual Bodily Harm or worse against children. The Government believe that this will ensure the proper protection of children without criminalising loving parents for administering a trivial smack.

During the Commons debate on the Children Bill, the Government committed itself to review the operation of section 58 of the Children Act two years after its commencement. We will be considering this during 2006-07, including consultation with interested parties.

Student Fees

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students in England paid (a) none, (b) part and (c) all of their fees in 2005/06. [83157]

Bill Rammell: The percentage of students in England in 2004/05 making a nil, partial or full contribution to their tuition fees is given in the table:

Percentage of students

Students making no contribution to fees

43

Students making a part contribution to fees

13

Students making a full contribution to fees

44

Note: 1. Data do not include those students who decide not to apply to the SLC for any student support. 2. Data for 2005/06 will not be available until November 2006. Source: Student Loans Company (SLC).

In 2004/05, students on full-time undergraduate courses and their families were

expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their tuition based on household income. Students from lower income backgrounds were wholly or partially exempt from paying tuition fees.

From 2006/07, no student will need to find money up front to meet tuition fees, as they will be eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £3,000. In addition, we expect around 30 per cent. of students to receive a maximum maintenance grant of £2,700 and an HE institution
25 July 2006 : Column 1468W
bursary of at least £300. Overall, we expect around half of all eligible students to receive at least some maintenance grant.

Student Stress

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of levels of stress experienced by students (a) taking written and oral exams and (b) undertaking coursework and continual assessment. [86714]

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), which is responsible for the regulation of qualifications and examinations in England, takes the issue of the assessment burden on candidates seriously, including stress levels. When qualifications are developed, the QCA looks both at the overall manageability and the burden on students taking the qualifications. In recent years, for example, measures have been taken to reduce the length of some A level examination papers in order to reduce the total exam burden for students. The 14-19 White Paper, published last year, gave QCA a remit to address three concerns about coursework assessment, one of which related to the overall burden on students. QCA has recently submitted its advice to the Secretary of State and we will be responding in due course.

Sure Start

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the Sure Start schemes in Easington constituency; and what plans he has for the future of Sure Start in Easington. [87862]

Beverley Hughes: There are four designated Sure Start children’s centres within the Easington constituency with a further four planned by the end of September 2006. The centres will reach a total of 3301 children under the age of five. Three of the children's centres are based on Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) and two are based on mini Sure Start local programmes. Each of the Sure Start local programmes carried out their own local evaluations assessing progress against a range of outcomes as part of their local level monitoring and evaluation. Findings from the local evaluations have been used to inform good practice in Sure Start children's centres. Local authorities play a key role in identifying numbers of children’s centres, their location and the range of services offered. They are also responsible for putting in place effective monitoring and performance management arrangements to assess the quality of the centres.

There is some excellent practice in Easington, with Sure Start Peterlee being awarded the Partners in Excellence Award in December 2004 for its work on developing a model of intervention to measure child development. The programme was also short listed in the Achieving with Partners category in December 2005. The overall impact of Sure Start local programmes nationally is being assessed through the National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS).

Two additional children’s centres with a planned reach of 989 children under the age of five will be
25 July 2006 : Column 1469W
established within the Easington constituency, during phase two of the children’s centre development. children’s centres services will then be available to all children under the age of five in Easington.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what training staff in Sure Start projects are expected to have regarding identifying people with mental health problems and dealing with them appropriately. [88020]

Beverley Hughes: The Sure Start Children’s Centres Practice Guidance (published in November 2005) gives advice to local authorities on the sort of prevention and intervention services children’s centres should provide in order to promote the mental health and well-being of young children and their parents. Local authorities together with key partners such as primary care trusts are responsible for ensuring services are of high quality. This includes identifying and addressing the training needs of staff working in children’s centres.

Teachers

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many full-time equivalent qualified teachers were employed in primary schools in Swindon in each year since 1997; [86633]

(2) how many full-time equivalent qualified teachers were employed in secondary schools in Swindon in each year between 1997 and 2006. [86969]

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of regular qualified teachers employed in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in Swindon local authority in each January from 1997 to 2005 (the latest year for which information is available at local authority level). Information for England from 1997 to 2006 is also given to enable comparison.

It is anticipated that local authority level information for January 2006 will be published in September.

Full-time equivalent qualified teachers employed in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in Swindon local authority and England, January 1997 to 2006
Nursery/Primary Secondary
Swindon England Swindon England

1997(1)

n/a

190,660

n/a

187,660

1998

730

188,990

630

187,670

1999

740

189,890

660

189,730

2000

750

191,640

670

191,100

2001

680

192,620

660

193,760

2002

790

193,080

690

196,580

2003

760

191,890

690

197,940

2004

760

190,450

690

200,590

2005

760

189,920

670

204,080

2006(2)

n/a

192,100

n/a

205,600

(1) Swindon local authority was created in the local Government reorganisation of 1.4.97.
(2) Provisional.
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g)

25 July 2006 : Column 1470W

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many newly qualified teachers obtained employment in full-time teaching positions in schools related to the subject in which they trained in 2006. [87955]

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what training teachers receive on how to deal with children with (a) special educational needs and (b) communication disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [87960]

Mr. Dhanda: In order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status, all trainee teachers must demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities under the statutory Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, know how to seek advice from specialists on less common types of SEN, can differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEN, and within that pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties, and can identify and support pupils who experience behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

The current standards for teachers are under review. Once revised, it is proposed that they will be strengthened to include a standard which requires teachers to know and comply with current legislation on well being of children and young people, one which requires teachers to know and understand the role of others when dealing with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and one which requires teachers to communicate effectively with parents and carers.

Induction Standards require Newly Qualified Teachers to demonstrate that they can plan effectively to meet the needs of pupils in their classes with SEN, with or without a statement, and in consultation with the school’s SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO), can contribute to the planning for individual needs.

Once qualified, all teachers are expected to discuss their own development needs in performance management reviews, and to address development priorities. This could include strengthening knowledge and understanding of communication difficulties. Where schools have identified a need to strengthen knowledge and understanding of SEN or communication difficulties, as a school improvement priority, this should be addressed through their school improvement and development plans.

All schools receive a School Development Grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. A wide variety of courses are available covering SEN, ranging from awareness-raising through to in-depth studies leading to specific qualifications. It is, however, a matter for individual teachers and their schools to determine their own particular training and development needs. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development of SEN.

The Department’s published SEN Strategy, ‘Removing Barriers to Achievement’ recognised the important of training and committed us to work
25 July 2006 : Column 1471W
closely with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to ensure that initial teacher training and programmes of continuing professional development provide a good grounding in core skills and knowledge of SEN. We have commissioned the IDA to carry forward a range of initiatives designed to improve and strengthen the SEN skills and confidence of trainees, newly qualified and established teachers. These initiatives will be implemented over the period 2005-08 at a cost of approximately £1.1 m.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers (a) retired and (b) retired on the grounds of ill health, broken down by type of ill health, in each year since 1997. [88441]

Jim Knight: The following tables provide: (a) the number of teachers who retired in each year from 1989-90 to 2004-05 broken down by the type of award, (premature, age and ill health); and (b) ill health retirements by diagnosis in each 12-month period from 1 October 2002, the earliest date from which data have been collected in this form.

Further information on teacher retirements has been published in the Statistics of Education School Workforce in England Volume, 2005 edition, which can be downloaded from the following URL:

    http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000633/index.shtml.

Retirements from the maintained schools sector( 1) : Type of award and sex by year of award, 1989-90 to 2004-05—England
Premature( 2) Age
Financial year (1 April to 31 March) Men Women Men and women Men Women Men and women

1989-90(4)

3,220

4,840

8,060

960

2,550

3,500

1990-91(4)

3,000

4,740

7,740

890

2,610

3,500

1991-92(4)

2,470

4,070

6,530

810

2,360

3,170

1992-93(4)

2,760

4,400

7,170

750

2,560

3,310

1993-94(4)

3,180

4,860

8,030

850

2,580

3,430

1994-95(4)

2,730

4,390

7,120

780

2,740

3,520

1995-96(4)

3,360

5,240

8,600

760

2,720

3,480

1996-97(4)

3,840

6,370

10,210

700

2,600

3,300

1997-98(4)

4,350

7,030

11,380

810

2,770

3,580

1998-99(4)

950

1,430

2,380

840

2,990

3,830

1999-2000(4)

1,140

1,520

2,660

990

3,270

4,260

2000-01(4)

1,270

1,900

3,170

980

3,220

4,190

2001-02(4)

1,330

2,150

3,480

1,060

3,320

4,380

2002-03(4, 5)

1,520

2,450

3,960

1,240

3,670

4,910

2003-04(4, 5)

1,910

3,030

4,940

1,330

4,080

5,410

2004-05(4, 5)

2,400

3,660

6,060

1,540

4,660

6,200



25 July 2006 : Column 1472W
Ill-health( 3) Total
Financial year (1 April to 31 March) Men Women Men and women Men Women Men and women

1989-90(4)

1,270

2,310

3,580

5,440

9,700

15,140

1990-91(4)

1,420

2,860

4,280

5,310

10,210

15,520

1991-92(4)

1,390

2,640

4,030

4,660

9,070

13,730

1992-93(4)

1,440

2,610

4,050

4,950

9,580

14,530

1993-94(4)

1,840

2,990

4,820

5,860

10,420

16,290

1994-95(4)

1,970

3,310

5,290

5,490

10,440

15,930

1995-96(4)

1,870

3,290

5,160

5,990

11,250

17,240

1996-97(4)

1,810

3,170

4,980

6,360

12,130

18,490

1997-98(4)

1,200

2,070

3,260

6,360

11,860

18,220

1998-99(4)

850

1,440

2,290

2,640

5,850

8,490

1999-2000(4)

860

1,470

2,320

2,990

6,250

9,240

2000-01(4)

1,040

1,590

2,630

3,280

6,710

9,990

2001-02(4)

920

1,460

2,380

3,310

6,940

10,240

2002-03(4, 5)

770

1,260

2,030

3,520

7,380

10,900

2003-04(4, 5)

770

1,100

1,870

4,010

8,210

12,220

2004-05(4, 5)

610

930

1,540

4,550

9,250

13,790

(1) Excludes sixth form colleges. (2) The effect of the change in the Teachers' Pension Scheme as from 31 August 1997 was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in previous years. Premature includes Actuarially Reduced Benefit retirements from 2000-01. (3) Changes in the statutory regulations governing ill-health retirement came into force on 1 April 1997. To quality for ill-health retirement benefits a teacher must now be regarded as permanently unfit to teach. (4) All years are subject to slight revision due to the addition of retrospective awards and suspension of pension benefits where teachers return to service. (5) 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 are provisional estimates. Source: Pensioner Statistical System (PENSTATS).

Ill-health retirements by diagnosis( 1)
Diagnosis 2002-03( 2) 2003-04( 2) 2004-05( 2)

Blood and blood forming organs

25

25

25

Chronic fatigue syndrome

65

60

60

Circulatory

160

130

135

Congenital malformations

5

5

(3)

Digestive

30

45

35

Ear and mastoid process

70

80

80

Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic

30

30

20

Eye and adnexa

35

25

30

Genitourinary

30

20

15

Infectious and parasitic diseases

(3)

0

0

Injury, poisoning and other external causes

30

30

40

Mental and behavioural disorders

865

905

785

Musculoskeletal—back

210

195

195

Musculoskeletal—non back

130

115

115

Neoplasms

245

260

255

Nervous system

160

155

170

Perinatal period

(3)

0

0

Respiratory

70

70

70

Skin and subcutaneous tissue

10

5

5

(1) Figures are for ill-health retirements from all education sectors in England and Wales pensionable under the Teachers' Pensions Scheme. (2 )Each year covers the period 1 October to 30 September. (3) Less than 5. Note:
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: DfES medical advisers.

25 July 2006 : Column 1473W

Tuition Fees

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the Government in the year of introduction of raising tuition fees by (a) £1,000 and (b) £100 where the payment of tuition fees is deferred until graduation. [81111]

Bill Rammell [holding answer 29 June 2006]: Estimates of the costs to Government of tuition fee loans for full-time undergraduates in England are based on the assumption that 9 per cent. of students are charged a fee of £2,000 and 91 per cent. of students are charged a fee of £3,000 ie the average fee for new students will be £2,910. For an average fee of £3,010.The additional costs in the 2006/07 academic year would be around £5 million,(1) and for an average fee of £3,910, the additional costs for the same academic year would be £70 million or more. In each case, we have used our existing assumptions: that a tuition fee loan is available to meet the full cost of tuition fees, that the total cost of providing tuition fee loans over their lifetime is 33 per cent. of their face value, and that 80 per cent. of eligible students take them up. These estimates are approximate as significant changes in the fee level would be likely to have an effect on assumptions.

The maximum fee cannot be raised by more than inflation until 2 January 2010

and only then with the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

    (1) Cost estimates rounded to the nearest £5 million.

Vocational Training

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to improve vocational training for young people in Houghton and Washington East. [82283]

Phil Hope: The new specialised Diplomas will provide an exciting, aspirational and stretching programme of learning for young people of all abilities and backgrounds, including the most able, who enjoy learning in a practical environment. A new statutory entitlement to study for a Diploma will be in place for all 14 to 19-year-olds from September 2013.

Apprenticeships are the main programme for young employed people seeking vocational qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3. Other opportunities are also being developed, including a pilot programme that started in April this year aimed at encouraging 16-18 year olds in jobs without training to gain a Level 2 qualification, whether academic or vocational. For those over 19 and without either basic skills or a first Level 2 qualification we have put in place the Train to Gain service to deliver high quality flexible qualifications in the workplace.

In addition, the Department has introduced a presumption that sixth form proposals from high performing specialist schools wishing to take up a vocational specialism will be approved. Such proposals will be supported by capital investment from a new 16-19 capital fund, administered by the Learning and Skills Council. The aim of the initiative is to engage
25 July 2006 : Column 1474W
successful schools in the delivery of high quality vocational learning in line with the 14-19 Implementation Plan. This will be complemented by a new Further Education presumption arrangement announced in the recent FE White Paper that will prioritise 16-19 capital investment in high performing colleges wishing to expand to deliver the new specialised Diplomas.

The local Learning and Skills Council can provide details of any local initiatives that are available in the Houghton and Washington, East area.

Weapons in Schools

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) expulsions and (b) temporary exclusions from schools there have been for the possession of (i) knives and (ii) firearms in each year since 1996. [86436]

Jim Knight: The requested information is not available.

Only two years of data relating to the reason for exclusion are currently available. The first year for which information on the reason for exclusion is available relates to the 2003/04 academic year. Exclusions data for 2004/05 academic year were published in June 2006.

Tables showing the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions by the reason for exclusion in 2003/04 and 2004/05 have been placed in the Library. There is not a specific category relating to possession of knives or firearms.

Youth Clubs

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of child personal security in youth clubs where people over 18 years may attend a youth club as a user of such clubs; and if he will make a statement. [86495]

Mr. Dhanda: In considering the standards of provision, the Department would expect local authorities to take account of the Statutory Guidance on the Duty to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004. This guidance sets out local authority responsibility for making arrangements to ensure their normal functions are discharged having regard to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their area. This includes all types of local authority services, including those provided by district councils.

Local authorities can also use DfES guidance issued to the education service on safer recruitment as a basis for developing procedures on checks for staff and volunteers. They should have clear policies and practices for the protection of children and young people in place and understood.


25 July 2006 : Column 1475W

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agricultural Support

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total budget was in 2005-06 for agricultural support in England; and what the administrative costs were of distributing it. [86864]

Ian Pearson: The total budget for agricultural support in England in 2005-06 was £2,045,088,000. This was administered by the Rural Payments Agency, whose administrative costs were budgeted at £228.96 million for 2005-06.

Air Conditioning

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department (a) has evaluated and (b) plans into the contribution to future climate change emissions made by air conditioning in domestic homes. [84070]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) has undertaken some limited research to estimate the contribution of air-conditioning in domestic homes to future carbon emissions. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given him on 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1979W.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has undertaken some research on the market penetration of domestic air conditioning, based on data from the USA, as part of its work to develop proposals for amending Part L of the Building Regulations, which it consulted on in July 2004.

Many “domestic” air-conditioners sold through trade supply routes are actually used in non-domestic buildings, and many sales are not captured by market survey statistics. This means there is uncertainty about their environmental impact. Although a growth in sales of domestic air-conditioners seems likely, their impact is small compared to that of air-conditioning in non-domestic buildings.

At present, the MTP does not plan any further research specifically on air-conditioning in domestic homes, and it is not aware of any current or planned research being undertaken by other programmes or organisations on the contribution to climate change.

Air Quality

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the air quality in Brent; and if he will make a statement. [87723]

Mr. Bradshaw: Local authorities have a duty, under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995, to review and assess the current, and likely future, air quality in their areas. Where local authorities consider that one or more of the nationally prescribed air quality objectives for each of the seven pollutants is unlikely to be met by the relevant deadline, they must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), covering the area where the problem is expected. These local authorities must then take action, along with other agencies and
25 July 2006 : Column 1476W
organisations, to work towards meeting the air quality objectives. The Mayor has responsibility for ensuring the Local Air Quality Management regime is undertaken appropriately by London boroughs.

Following the first round of reviews and assessments, the London borough of Brent declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) in respect of nitrogen dioxide and particulates (PM10) in April 2001. In fulfilment of its obligations, Brent carried out a further assessment of the existing, and likely future, air quality within the existing AQMA in the borough, and submitted a report to my Department in September 2003. The report concluded that the AQMA, as declared, was still justified. Brent has an action plan in place for their AQMA.

The second round of reviews and assessments started in 2003. London boroughs had to submit their Updating and Screening Assessments (USA) by December 2003, and were expected to submit either a detailed assessment (where further investigation was required) or a progress report by December 2004. The London borough of Brent submitted their USA to my Department in October 2004. They concluded that further investigation (detailed assessment) was needed in respect of the likely exceedences of benzene, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and PM10 objectives. The detailed assessment was submitted to my Department in April 2006 and the Mayor of London in March 2006. The report concluded that additional AQMAs are required for nitrogen dioxide and PM10.

The third round of review and assessments has now started and local authorities were asked to submit a new USA by the end of April 2006. Brent's USA has been received and my officials are currently assessing the report. The Mayor of London has also received a copy of Brent's USA.

Area-based Initiatives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) budget and (b) expenditure was for administration on each area-based initiative for which his Department and its predecessors have been responsible in each year since 1997. [87525]

Ian Pearson: The Department does not maintain a separate record of expenditure for administrating geographically targeted Government interventions, it is included in the overall administration costs. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bovine TB

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the definition of sound science is by which he will determine the Government's response to its consultations on methods to control bovine tuberculosis. [87112]

Mr. Bradshaw: I will base any decision on badger culling on a sound scientific and practical foundation. By “sound science” I mean the evidence from the available science base and the outcomes from the on-going TB research programme.


25 July 2006 : Column 1477W

British Waterways

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will sign the long-term contract with British Waterways recommended in the quinquennial review in 2004. [87404]

Barry Gardiner: The 2004 Policy Review of British Waterways made a number of recommendations associated with increasing clarity of purpose, measurement of performance and long-term funding arrangements.

We are currently discussing with British Waterways, how these might be achieved in practice. The aims are to establish a more robust funding and performance framework to maintain waterways at a sustainable level, give clarity on expectation on income and efficiencies and certainty of funding over the medium term. The intention is for this framework to be in place for the next Comprehensive Spending Review period.

CAP/Agricultural Tariffs

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had on (a) agricultural tariffs and (b) the common agricultural policy with (i) the US Department of Agriculture and (ii) EU Commissioner Boel in relation to the Doha world trade talks. [86768]

Ian Pearson: My DEFRA ministerial colleagues and I, continue to meet regularly with Commissioner Fischer Boel and the European Commission’s directorate-general for Agriculture and Rural Development to discuss a range of issues including reform of the common agricultural policy and the current World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations which include agricultural tariffs.

We also have contact with representatives from the US Administration and other third countries to discuss issues including agricultural policy and the current Doha talks, and will continue to do so in the future. The European Commission has responsibility for trade negotiations, which take place within a mandate set by EU member states, and has regular contact with WTO delegations.

Carbon Emissions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to ensure that the UK Government will reduce the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. by 2010. [87474]

Ian Pearson: The new UK climate change programme, published in March 2006, details policies and measures to cut UK emissions of carbondioxide and other/greenhouse gases. The UK’s climate change programme 2006 is available on the Defra website at:

    http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/ukccp06-all.pdf

On current projections we are expected to achieve a 16.2 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, however the climate change programme is not the
25 July 2006 : Column 1478W
final word and further contributions are likely be made by the Energy Review, the Department for Communities and Local Government Review of buildings and other Government initiatives over the coming years.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total carbon emissions of the UK were in 2005-06; and what assessment he has made of the relative performance of the UK on carbon emissions compared with other major industrial nations. [87572]

Ian Pearson: Estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions for 2005 are not yet available. Summary statistics for 2005 will be published in January 2007 and a full national inventory report for the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) will be published in April 2007.

Provisional data for 2005 suggest that UK emissions of carbon dioxide were some 153 million tonnes of carbon, and that total greenhouse gas emissions were about 178.9 million tonnes of carbon equivalent. These were respectively about 5.3 per cent. and about 14.6 per cent. below the Kyoto protocol base year level. Provisional estimates are uncertain, but mostly within 1 percentage point of the final figure. In 2004, the most recent year which finalised data are available, UK carbon dioxide and total greenhouse gas emissions were estimated to have been 5.6 per cent. and 14.6 per cent. respectively below Kyoto base year levels.

Of the major mature market economies, only Germany, which has undergone significant economic restructuring since reunification, has reduced its emissions by a greater amount than the UK. The US which has ratified the UNFCCC but not the Kyoto protocol, is estimated to have increased its greenhouse emissions by 16 per cent. between 1990 and 2004.

Climate Change

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the implications of climate change for rural areas; and what plans his Department has to help areas to respond to these implications. [88528]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA has recently received the final report of a study commissioned under the Cross-Regional Research Programme on climate change and its impacts on the Countryside and Rural Economy. The project also considered possible adaptation strategies that could be implemented to lessen the effects of unavoidable climate change. The report outlined the factors contributing to the vulnerability of rural areas, identified the key climate impacts likely to occur, and discussed potential adaptation strategies that could be implemented.

Rural areas will face the same challenges as the UK as a whole: higher average temperatures, more frequent and higher extreme temperatures, especially in the South East, together with warmer wetter winters and longer dry summers, and higher risk of extreme storm and drought events. Farmers and other land managers are in the front line of a changing climate and, as
25 July 2006 : Column 1479W
identified in the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy Forward Look, tackling climate change and its impacts are a key part of DEFRA policy on agriculture. Research suggests that though climate change impacts do not appear to threaten the viability of the agriculture industry as a whole in the UK, due to the adaptability of UK systems, individual agricultural businesses and land managers will need to be aware of the need to adapt.

In order to help raise awareness of the problems and develop suitable adaptation strategies, the Rural Climate Change Forum has been established to provide a high level forum for dialogue with the Government, and authoritative advice and leadership to rural stakeholders. Last year under the UK presidency of the EU, we hosted the first ever Joint Informal Council on Environment and Agriculture on the topic of agriculture and climate change.

We have recently awarded funding under the Climate Challenge Fund to the National Farmers’ Union and Forum for the Future, to communicate climate change issues to land managers. We will be working with the National Farmers’ Union, the Country Land and Business Association and the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) to host a seminar on adaptation for agricultural support industries in September this year. We are already working with rural stakeholders and UKCIP on identifying and publicising adaptation strategies and encouraging land managers to see dealing with climate change as part of risk management in their business. UKCIP and regional partners have established rural climate change partnerships to identify local action needed.

The Climate Change Programme 2006 and work on the UK Adaptation Policy Framework lay out a clear framework for action, and signalled a step change in the recognition given to land managers in addressing climate change. The Government will continue to fund research to support this work on impacts and adaptation, particularly through the UK Climate Impacts Programme which is conducting ongoing work to provide scenarios to show how our climate might change and co-ordinating research on dealing with our future climate. We are also considering the scope for establishing an innovation centre for climate change and agriculture to lead and foster research partnerships with relevant UK farming and food interests, and in particular drawing on the experience and systems from regions in climate conditions the UK may face in the future.

Common Agricultural Policy

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of (a) the difference between UK and world prices for agricultural food products as a proxy for the cost to the UK consumer of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and (b) the notional UK contribution to CAP expenditure, broken down by (i) commodity and (ii) European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund spending sector. [83335]

Barry Gardiner: We can estimate the UK consumer cost of the CAP by comparing the difference between UK and world prices for agricultural products and
25 July 2006 : Column 1480W
applying that difference to the volume of UK consumption. Our latest provisional estimate, for 2004, shows a cost of the CAP to UK consumers of around £4 billion.

The UK contributes to the total EU budget and not to its individual components; however, we can calculate a notional UK contribution to the CAP. We estimate that, in 2004, this notional cost to UK taxpayers of expenditure through the CAP budget was around £3.7 billion (after a notional “agricultural” abatement).

We do not have estimates of the notional UK contribution to spending on individual agricultural commodity sectors. However, the following table provides a breakdown of CAP the level and share of expenditure by commodity and CAP Pillar.

CAP expenditure by commodity and pillar, 2004
€ million Share (Percentage)

Arable crops

17,297

39

Sugar

1,284

3

Olive oil

2,372

5

Fruits and vegetables

1,573

4

Wine

1,092

2

Tobacco

929

2

Other vegetable products

1,534

3

Milk

1,993

4

Beef

7,776

17

Sheep and goats

1,470

3

Pigmeat, eggs and poultry meat

173

0

Other animal products

24

0

Other

782

2

Rural development

6,462

14

Total

44,761

100

Source: European Commission, (2005) 34th Financial Report on The Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.

Dairy Co-operatives

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what publicly-funded incentives exist for dairy farmers to set-up supplier co-operatives. [87167]

Tim Farron [holding answer 24 July 2006]: A number of dairy co-operatives already exist in Great Britain. The three largest supply around 40 per cent. of raw milk in the UK, process approximately 25 per cent. of the GB milk supply, and between them have over 8,000 farmer members.

Advice and practical assistance to farmers who wish to establish co-operatives or other forms of collaborative enterprises is available from English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP). EFFP was set up in line with a recommendation by the Policy Commission for the establishment of a body responsible for encouraging and supporting collaborative activity in England. Its activities are part funded by Government.

Co-operation and collaboration benefiting primary producers is one of the Government’s stated priorities for the award of grants under the Agricultural Development Scheme.

In the consultation on the priorities for the next Rural Development Programme for England (2007-13)
25 July 2006 : Column 1481W
we proposed that support for the promotion and encouragement of greater collaboration and co-operation between producers should be an activity that the next Programme should support. We are currently considering how to reflect the responses to the consultation in the development of the Programme.

Development (South-East)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research (a) has been completed and (b) is planned into the effect on the environment of (i) existing, (ii) extended and (iii) new developments for London and the South East in the period 2020 to 2050, with particular reference to (A) transport, (B) land use and (C) biodiversity; and if he will make a statement. [83763]

Mr. Bradshaw: Defra has not carried out any research in to the environmental impacts of development in London and the South East for the period 2020 to 2050, and none is currently planned.

Defra and DCLG commissioned the consultants Entec to model the environmental impacts of the original levels of increased housing supply proposed in Kate Barker’s review of housing supply. The report, entitled: “A sustainability impact study of additional housing scenarios in England” was published in December 2005- and was used to inform the comprehensive package of environmental measures that was announced as part of the Government’s response to the Barker review. However, the period for this study was from 2006-31, and the findings were not location specific. This study investigated a wide range of environmental impacts including land take, but did not consider transport or biodiversity impacts. The report can be found on the DCLG website.

Domestically Produced Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of food consumed in the UK was produced in the UK in each year since 1997. [88526]

Ian Pearson: The following table shows UK self sufficiency in food as a percentage of all food and indigenous food.

Self-sufficiency is calculated as the value of production of raw food divided by the value of raw food for human consumption.

UK self sufficiency in food as a percentage of:
all food indigenous type food

1997

68.2

81.6

1998

67.4

81.8

1999

67.5

81.5

2000

66.6

80.1

2001

62.7

75.1

2002

62.4

75.5

2003

63.5

76.7

2004

61.9

74.6

2005

60.0

73.3


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Electric Shock Collars

Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will carry out an investigation into the use of electric shock collars as a training aid for dogs; and if he will use such research to assess the merits of banning their use. [87113]

Mr. Bradshaw: We recognise that future research into electric shock collars is a priority. The Department has recently circulated a new call for research, in the form of a Limited Tender Call, with the aim of taking forward any research on or after April 2007. The aim is to obtain independent scientific evidence so that a decision can be taken as to whether or not there is a need for regulation in this area.

We have also asked the Companion Animal Welfare Council, in its role as advisory body to the Government on companion animal welfare matters, to undertake an independent study of available evidence on the use of electronic training devices. The outcome of this study will help inform Defra policy and will complement any separate research that Defra commissions into these devices.

If regulation were considered necessary there would be a full public consultation before any regulations were drafted and put to Parliament. All research into these areas commissioned by the Government will be put in the public domain.

Energy Crops

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support for growers of (a) miscanthus and (b) other energy crops will be provided after 31 July 2006. [88224]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA is currently considering how best to support energy crops under the new Rural Development Programme (RDP), which will come into operation in 2007. The RDP is a national programme but is part funded by the EU, so it will need to comply with the provisions of the EU Rural Development Regulation (RDR). Therefore, DEFRA is also in discussions with the Commission on how support for Energy Crops can continue under the RDP in 2007 and beyond.

The EU's annual €45 per hectare Energy Aid payment is available to farmers for purpose-grown energy crops grown on non set-aside land. Farmers can also receive the single payment for purpose-grown energy crops on set-aside or where the EU's €45 per hectare energy aid payment is claimed for crops on non set-aside land.

Support for energy crops is also provided by Research and Development funding from DEFRA. This underpins an expansion in the commercial breeding programme. The aim is to double the output of new varieties by developing crops with maximised yield and resistance to fungal diseases and pests.


25 July 2006 : Column 1483W

Energy Efficiency

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy his Department estimates would be saved if all homes that needed it were insulated. [81429]

Ian Pearson: We estimate that if all homes received all cost-effective insulation measures (such as loft and cavity wall insulation) where appropriate, the maximum energy savings would be around 240 peta joules (PJ). For comparison, current energy consumption from all UK housing is around 2,000 PJ, so the saving is around 12 per cent.

However, in practice households are likely to take some of the savings as comfort (for example, higher internal temperatures), which would reduce the savings accordingly. If comfort taking is assumed to be 30 per cent., the energy savings would be around 160 PJ.

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why his Department has revised the energy savings calculations for (a) light bulbs and (b) insulation. [81430]

Ian Pearson: Revisions were made in the light of new information arising from monitoring and modelling projects. Full details were published under the energy efficiency commitment (EEC) section of the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/eec/pdf/measuremix.pdf in February 2005.

For light bulbs, the new factors were the use of an average saving across different bulb wattages and different bulb types; recognition that most households were now likely to have at least one compact fluorescent lamp, most probably in the most heavily-used light fitting, so the annual hours of use for new installations would now be shorter than before (thereby reducing the annual savings); and allowance for the heat replacement effect.

For insulation, monitoring projects had indicated that actual energy savings were rather lower than expected from models. Additionally, in practice, the extent of the fillable cavity was somewhat smaller than the external wall area. Pending the outcome of further monitoring, the energy (and carbon) savings were slightly reduced. DEFRA has a continuing programme of monitoring and research to keep the savings from different measures as up to date as possible.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the rate of return to energy efficiency schemes supported by the Department including social benefits; and if he will make an assessment of the private rate of return and payback period for private individuals who benefit from such schemes. [81786]

Ian Pearson: For the first phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC1), the estimated Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for the scheme as a whole was around 30 per cent. excluding the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) and the value of air quality improvements. It was over 35 per cent. if these were
25 July 2006 : Column 1484W
included. The returns for the current phase are expected to be slightly lower, since the “quick wins” have now been acted on.

The corresponding IRR for a private individual benefiting from EEC will depend on the measure installed, and the particular incentive offered by the energy supplier. The Energy Saving Trust has information on typical benefits and costs charged to consumers under the scheme, and we have used this information for the following two examples.

For cavity wall insulation, using today’s prices, the IRR is 45-50 per cent. and the payback period just over two years. The corresponding figures for a pack of four low energy lamps, using the savings assumptions for EEC2 (see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energv/eec/pdf/measuremix.pdf) are 80-90 per cent. and 14 months.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost was of the warm front and energy efficiency schemes in each year since 2000; and how much was spent on (a) grants, (b) promotion and advertising and (c) administration in each year. [88891]

Ian Pearson: A full response to this question could be made only at disproportionate cost.

Environment Agency

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) by what percentage the Environment Agency has been asked to reduce its spending from the original level allocated for 2006-07; [87628]

(2) pursuant to the hon. Member for Reading West’s Oral Answer of 20 July 2006, Official Report, column 445, on the Environment Agency (grant in aid), by what amount the Environment Agency has been asked to reduce its budget in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement; [88920]

(3) whether the budget for flood defences is to be changed; and if he will make a statement. [88921]

Ian Pearson: As part of the Spending Review 04 settlement, the Environment Agency was given an increased indicative grant in aid budget for 2006-07 of £573 million. However, following the initial budget setting exercise for 2006-07 this figure was reduced by 0.77 per cent. This amounts to a £4.4 million reduction.

A budget review exercise is under way which is examining expenditure across the whole of DEFRA. No final decisions have yet been taken. Meanwhile, consultation is taking place with Environment Agency to evaluate the budget review proposals and options.

Environmental Budget Lines

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what changes have been requested in the budget allocations for environmental budget lines in his Department. [89033]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA is committed to living within its overall budget for 2006-07 as voted by Parliament. At present there is a budget review exercise under way which is examining expenditure across the whole of
25 July 2006 : Column 1485W
DEFRA. No final decisions have yet been taken and these are expected to be made by early August. Meanwhile consultation is taking place between the Department’s Environment Directorate General and its delivery partners, including the Environment Agency, to evaluate the budget review proposals and options.

Environmental Noise

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish the responses to the consultation on proposals for transposition and implementation of Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. [88317]

Mr. Bradshaw: Copies of the responses will be made publicly available during the summer, through the Defra Information Resource Centre, Lower Ground Floor, Ergon House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR. I also will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

EU Directives

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to his Department was of implementing and administering EU directives, regulations and policies in 2005-06. [86757]


25 July 2006 : Column 1486W

Ian Pearson: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department, but by the management units responsible for the policy areas concerned. Disaggregated costs could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EU Legislation

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department issues (a) advice and (b) instructions to the Scottish Executive on the implementation of EU legislation in Scotland. [86513]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 19 July 2006]: Implementation of EU legislation is a matter for the Scottish Executive, in those areas which are devolved, by the Scotland Act 1998. The Department offers advice on implementation, when asked to do so by the Executive.

Farm Incomes

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the trend in the level of farm incomes over the last five years. [87086]

Barry Gardiner: Farm incomes for England in the past five years are given in the table as follows.

Net farm income by farm type ( 1) , England 2000-01 to 2004-05
2000-01( 2) 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Nominal Terms Cereals

7,500

5,900

13,200

36,400

15,600

General Cropping

18,600

17,500

15,600

56,800

32,200

Horticulture

21,600

35,400

34,600

40,600

28,400

Dairy

14,000

30,900

16,400

23,600

26,400

Grazing livestock (Lowland)

-400

-100

6,400

7,100

5,400

Grazing livestock (Less Favoured Area)

5,900

7,400

17,700

15,000

13,400

Pigs

42,100

21,600

25,300

34,400

25,100

Poultry

30,300

26,700

97,100

53,200

89,700

Mixed

7,600

4,500

11,400

24,400

16,400

All types

10,600

14,900

16,600

29,500

21,200

(1) Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business.
(2) Excluding farms subjected to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull.
Source:
Farm Business Survey (FBS)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average annual income was of (a) farms and (b) hill farms in (i) England and Wales, (ii) Cumbria, and (iii) Westmorland and Lonsdale in each year since 1997. [88527]

Ian Pearson: Farm incomes for England since 1997 are given in the table as follows. Grazing livestock (less favoured area) is equivalent to hill farms


25 July 2006 : Column 1487W

25 July 2006 : Column 1488W
Net farm income( 1) by farm type, England 1997-08 to 2004-05
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01( 2) 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Nominal Terms

Cereals

18,400

8,400

15,300

7,500

5,900

13,200

36,400

15,600

General Cropping

20,000

35,800

7,400

18,600

17,500

15,600

56,800

32,200

Horticulture

22,000

22,500

20,100

21,600

35,400

34,600

40,600

28,400

Dairy

19,700

11,600

9,200

14,000

30,900

16,400

23,600

26,400

Grazing Livestock (Less Favoured Area)

12,700

6,200

5,600

5,900

7,400

17,700

15,000

13,400

Grazing Livestock (Lowland)

2,200

1,700

500

-400

-100

6,400

7,100

5,400

Pigs

14,400

-40,000

-10,900

42,100

21,600

25,300

34,400

25,100

Poultry

24,200

22,800

5,000

30,300

26,700

97,100

53,200

89,700

Mixed

6,400

4,100

7,200

7,600

4,500

11,400

24,400

16,400

All types

15,200

11,500

8,700

10,600

14,900

16,600

29,500

21,200

(1) Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business.
(2) Excluding farms subjected to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull.
Source:
Farm Business Survey (FBS)

Farm incomes for Cumbria since 2002-03 are given in the following table. Data is not available for Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Net farm income by farm type, Cumbria 2002-03 to 2004-05
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Nominal terms

Cereals

(1)

(1)

(1)

General Cropping

(1)

(1)

(1)

Horticulture

(1)

(1)

(1)

Dairy

5,000

20,000

22,000

Grazing Livestock (Less Favoured Area)

20,000

17,000

20,000

Grazing Livestock (Lowland)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Mixed

(1)

(1)

(1)

All types

16,600

29,500

21,200

(1) Too few observations in the sample to give reliable estimates Welsh data is a matter for the devolved administration
Source:
Farm Business Survey (FBS)

Welsh data is a matter for the devolved administration.

Farm Payments

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of farms had not had their single farm payments validated on the latest date for which figures are available. [80703]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 27 June 2006]: As of 20 July 2006, 22,385 applications, representing 19.2 per cent. of the estimated total claimant population for the Single Payment Scheme 2005 had not been fully validated. Of that number some 14,640 claimants had received a partial payment.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional costs have been incurred due to the delays in making the single farm payment; whether the additional funds will be met from the Department’s budget; and if he will make a statement. [86367]

Barry Gardiner: Additional costs, in the form of reduced EU funding, may arise in relation to payments under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) which are made after the end of the regulatory payment window on 30 June 2006.

However, it is too early to say whether such costs will arise in practice as that depends on the outcome of on-going discussions with the European Commission and the amount and timing of outstanding SPS payments across the UK.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 163W, on single farm payments, how much additional funding has been made available; which key rural organisations have received the funding; for what specific purposes it will be used; how much extra money has been made available to organisations which primarily support Cumbrian farmers; and if he will make a statement. [78445]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 19 June 2006]: The additional funding amounted to £115,000, which has been made available to the Rural Stress Information Network, Farm Crisis Network, Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, ARC-Addington and The Samaritans in order to boost their capacity, e.g. in terms of staff and IT, to help farmers facing cash-flow problems. The Department does not hold figures on the regional breakdown of this expenditure

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims under the Single Payment Scheme were submitted by 15 June; what the value is; and what proportion this represents of claims for entitlements made in 2005. [86865]

Barry Gardiner: By close of business on 15 June 2006 110,176 applications for the Single Payment Scheme had been received by the Rural Payments Agency.

Until all of these claims have been entered onto our computer system we will not be able to establish the value of such claims, or the proportion this represents of entitlements established in 2005.

Farming

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed in (a) dairy farming, (b) beef farming, (c) sheep farming, (d) arable farming, (e) mixed farming and (f) other forms of farming in Cornwall in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2005. [87520]

Ian Pearson: The number of full and part time employees (including salaried managers and casual
25 July 2006 : Column 1489W
workers) on holdings by farm type (based on predominant activity) in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are as follows:

Farm type 1990 2000 2005

Cereals

116

156

160

General Cropping

609

722

538

Horticulture

744

1,589

957

Pigs and Poultry

247

103

99

Dairy

1,676

1,010

855

Cattle and Sheep (Less Favoured Areas)

306

173

n/a

Grazing Livestock (Less Favoured Areas)

n/a

n/a

186

Cattle and Sheep (Lowland)

832

635

n/a

Grazing Livestock (Lowland)

n/a

n/a

538

Mixed

669

447

379

Other Types

244

169

212

All types

5,443

5,004

3,924


The number of full and part-time farmers, partners, directors and spouses (if working) on holdings by farm type in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are as follows:

Farm type 1990 2000 2005

Cereals

229

467

473

General Cropping

458

326

389

Horticulture

715

783

841

Pigs and Poultry

210

304

538

Dairy

2,931

2,073

1,748

Cattle and Sheep (Less favoured Areas)

963

725

n/a

Grazing Livestock (Less favoured Areas)

n/a

n/a

797

Cattle and Sheep (Lowland)

2,700

3,094

n/a

Grazing Livestock (Lowland)

n/a

n/a

3,069

Mixed

989

1,008

1,188

Other Types

866

1,830

1,372

All types

10,061

10,610

10,415

Notes: 1. Data for 1980 are not available 2. 1990 data are for main holdings only, 2000 onwards contains main and minor holdings. A minor holding needs to conform to all of the following: (a) the total area is less than 6 hectares (b) there is no regular whole-time farmer or worker (c) the estimated annual labour requirement is less than 100 days (of 8 hours productive work by an adult worker under average conditions) (d) the glasshouse area is less than 100 square metres (e) the occupier does not farm another building. 3. Changes in farm type classifications mean figures for the cattle and sheep and grazing livestock categories are not directly comparable across the years. Source: June Agricultural Survey

Flood Defences

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review flood defences in Robertsbridge, East Sussex; and if he will make a statement. [89122]

Ian Pearson: Flood defences in Robertsbridge will be reviewed within the River Rother and Romney Marsh
25 July 2006 : Column 1490W
Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This plan will set policy and inform future flood risk management investment in the Robertsbridge area for the next 100 years. The CFMP is currently being produced and will be completed by September 2007.

Flood Risk

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the change in the number of homes at risk from flooding as a result of (a) new homes built in 2006 and (b) building developments already identified and underway; and if he will make a statement. [86452]

Ian Pearson: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) leads on development planning policy. DCLG has publicly consulted on strengthening this policy in a new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 25 which will help manage future flood risks in a sustainable way. DCLG is aiming to publish revised guidance and related changes to the planning system in autumn 2006. The Environment Agency is funded by DEFRA to advise planning authorities on development proposals to ensure flood risk is properly taken into account.

Figures on the number of homes constructed in 2006 or currently under construction are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fly-tipping

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) pursuant to the Answers of 6 July 2005, Official Report, columns 418-25W and 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 552W, on fly-tipping, if he will provide the information for the most recent year for which figures are available; [87416]

(2) pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, columns 680-5W, on fly-tipping, if he will provide the most recent information he has in the same format; and if he will make a statement. [88826]

Mr. Bradshaw: Data from Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, for 2005-06 are currently being analysed and will be published on 31 July 2006. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fly-tipping incidents there were in (a) South East Cambridgeshire and (b) Cambridgeshire in each year since 2000, broken down by the nature of that waste. [88926]

Mr. Bradshaw: DEFRA has worked with the Environment Agency to establish Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, which has been operational since April 2004. No national data were previously available on illegal waste disposal or fly-tipping.

Flycapture collects summary data at local authority level only. The data requested for the relevant local authorities are provided in the following tables:


25 July 2006 : Column 1491W

25 July 2006 : Column 1492W
Cambridge East Cambridgeshire Fenland
2004-05 2005-06 2004-05 2005-06 2004-05 2005-06

Animal Carcass

29

30

7

1

Green

16

26

95

119

89

113

Vehicle Parts

45

61

15

11

145

153

White Goods

173

216

67

64

58

74

Other Electrical

11

38

47

34

72

71

Tyres

1

4

71

39

168

204

Asbestos

3

4

1

11

Clinical

1

55

4

Construction, Demolition, Excavation

26

21

15

8

147

214

Black Bags Commercial

24

67

1

1

4

7

Black Bags Household

46

148

171

186

134

283

Chemical Drums, Oil, Fuel

2

2

4

1

66

64

Other Household Waste

584

594

147

147

321

474

Other Commercial Waste

19

18

2

7

46

107

Other unidentified

49

71

75

32

Total

997

1,321

667

651

1,337

1,808


Huntingdonshire South Cambridgeshire Total
2004-05 2005-06 2004-05 2005-06 2004-05 2005-06

Animal Carcass

25

16

35

34

96

81

Green

117

59

72

38

389

355

Vehicle Parts

29

16

38

18

272

259

White Goods

83

71

51

34

432

459

Other Electrical

33

31

22

21

185

195

Tyres

85

64

61

31

386

342

Asbestos

4

2

5

7

13

24

Clinical

6

1

2

6

13

62

Construction, Demolition, Excavation

96

64

45

46

329

353

Black Bags Commercial

3

5

37

28

69

108

Black Bags Household

197

124

174

126

722

867

Chemical Drums, Oil, Fuel

13

10

23

33

108

110

Other Household Waste

139

98

76

43

1,267

1,356

Other Commercial Waste

22

25

4

8

93

165

Other unidentified

2

24

12

148

117

Total

852

588

669

485

4,522

4,853


Genetic Use Restriction Technologies

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will (a) publish and (b) place in the Library the emerging research on the impacts of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies that was considered at the Convention on Biological Diversity in March. [88417]

Ian Pearson: All the documents considered by the eighth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are available on the website of the Convention at:

    http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting. asp?lg=0&mtg=cop-08.

The Conference also considered several documents emanating from the Ad Hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which met from 23-27 January 2006, in Granada, Spain. The documents which relate to this earlier meeting are available at:

    http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=WG8J-04.

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research the Government are (a) funding and (b) undertaking into the (i) ecological, (ii) economic, (iii) social and (iv) cultural impacts of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies. [88420]

Ian Pearson: On 22 June 2006, DEFRA published a review that considered possible methods for containing the spread of novel genes in Genetically Modified (GM) crop plants. This issue is of potential relevance to the risk assessment of new types of GM crop. The review is available on the DEFRA website at:

    www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?l=CB02036&M=KWS& V=CB02036&SUBMIT1=Search&SCOPE=0.

DEFRA is also part-funding an EU project called "COEXTRA (GM and non-GM supply chains—their coexistence and traceability)". This aims to study bio containment technologies and will, among other things, examine their legal, social and ethical dimensions. The project is due to report in 2008.


25 July 2006 : Column 1493W

Greyhounds

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues about the introduction of statutory regulations concerning animal welfare for the greyhound industry. [86536]

Mr. Bradshaw: The outline of our proposals for secondary legislation, including the regulation of greyhound welfare, has been considered at Cabinet level.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what health risks are associated with the burial of dead greyhounds; and if he will make a statement. [87514]

Mr. Bradshaw: The landfilling of previously healthy dead greyhounds would not be expected to result in an increase in risks to health. Where greyhounds are buried (other than as private pets) the landfilling operation should be subject to regulation under a Pollution Prevention Control (PPC) permit, issued by the Environment Agency, which meets the environmental and health objectives of the Waste Framework Directive and the technical requirements of the Landfill Directive.

Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the transfer of Sites of Special Scientific Interest Wildlife Enhancement Scheme agreements into the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme. [87073]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 20 July 2006]: The Rural Development Service and English Nature are jointly managing a project to ensure the smooth transfer of sites from the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme into new management agreements with the aim of meeting the PSA target for 95 per cent. of SSSIs by area to be in ‘favourable or recovering condition’ by 2010. This has included identifying all sites where a transfer into the Higher Level of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme will be the appropriate land management agreement and setting a timetable for those transfers.

In 2005-06 the interim target of 70 per cent. of SSSIs in ‘favourable or recovering condition’ was achieved. The project to manage transfer referred to above will continue to support progress towards the longer term target. Currently 25 per cent. of HLS agreements include land within a SSSI.

Ironbridge Power Station

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Environment Agency has imposed additional emission controls on Ironbridge Power Station since it commenced generating electricity from co-incineration. [88671]


25 July 2006 : Column 1494W

Ian Pearson: The Ironbridge Power Station is regulated under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) authorisation has been issued by the Environment Agency to regulate emissions.

In 2003, a variation to the authorisation was issued which imposed a number of conditions specifying the acceptable biomass raw materials to be co-fired with the main fuel, coal. The existing emission controls remained unchanged.

The station is not regulated as a co-incineration plant as it does not burn waste materials to generate energy.

Judicial Review

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2006, Official Report, column 1285W, on judicial review, where the information is held; and how (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public may have access to that information. [85172]

Barry Gardiner: Since 1 January 2006 the litigation team in DEFRA has maintained a database on which details of all judicial reviews against DEFRA are recorded. Prior to that date no central record was kept of the number or of the outcome of judicial reviews and therefore the information requested could only be obtained by recalling and examining all litigation files from the file store. If an hon. Member or member of the public wishes to pursue the outcome of any particular judicial review then a request can be made under the Freedom of Information Act and will be dealt with accordingly.

Judicial review proceedings are commenced in the High Court. The proceedings are public proceedings. The High Court may maintain a record of the outcome all judicial review proceedings issued. The title of the proceedings will enable an inquirer to determine the identity of the defendant and a request made to see the final order or judgment. Many judicial review judgments are available on the Courts Service website or on http://www.bailii.org/databases.

Landfill

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste has been sent to landfill in the last 10 years. [86466]

Mr. Bradshaw: From 1997 to 2005, we landfilled an estimated total of 100.8 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste. From 2001-02, which is the first year for which we have reliable figures, to 2004-05, we reduced the amount of that waste sent to landfill from 15.7 million tonnes to 13.9 million tonnes, thanks to the considerable efforts of the Government, local authorities and the public to recycle more waste.

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to limit the amount of waste that goes to landfill. [88903]


25 July 2006 : Column 1495W

Mr. Bradshaw: Action to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill is driven by regional and local strategies and supported by nationally funded programmes.

Less of most kinds of waste is being landfilled; the proportion of municipal waste being disposed of in landfill has continued to decrease from 72 per cent. in 2003-04, to 67 per cent. in 2004-05. The actual tonnage of municipal waste disposed of in landfill also decreased again from 20.9 million tonnes in 2003-04 to 19.9 million tonnes in 2004-05. In addition, England is on course to meet its 2005 targets of reducing the amount of commercial and industrial waste landfilled by 15 per cent. against the 1998 figures. However, we have more to do to meet our obligations under the landfill directive to reduce the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste.

We are working towards challenging targets, but we are beginning to make progress towards them through higher recycling and composting rates for household waste, greater reuse of waste materials, plus work to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first instance.

The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, which we established in 2005, is the main measure to help us meet our obligations under the landfill directive to divert the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.

The continued increase in the rate of landfill tax (rising to £3 per tonne per year from 2005-06, until it reaches £35 per tonne in the medium to long term) is another important instrument in reducing our reliance on landfill and moving to more sustainable waste management options.

Revenue from the additional landfill tax is, in turn, being fed into the Business Resource, Efficiency and Waste programme, which is returning £284 million to businesses over three years through resource efficiency and waste minimisation programmes. The programme ensures that while increased landfill tax incentivise businesses to reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill, the advice and assistance is available to them to develop ways to achieve this effectively.

The revised Waste Strategy for England, which we will publish later this year, will outline what steps are being taken, and what more needs to be done, to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill. The public, businesses and Government all have roles to play in following more sustainable waste management practices.

Lyme Bay

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of static gear fisheries, sea angling and diving on the local economy of communities around Lyme Bay; and if he will make a statement. [86058]

Mr. Bradshaw: Such an assessment has not yet been made. The South West Inshore Scallopers Association is commissioning a report from the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth on “Options for the Spatial Management of Scallop Dredging Impacts on Hard Substrates in Lyme Bay”. Part of the study will address these important issues.


25 July 2006 : Column 1496W

Navigation Charges

Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the effect of its proposed increases in charges to boaters on their use of its navigations. [87030]

Barry Gardiner: Navigation supports Government objectives for health, recreation and social inclusion and plays an important role in flood relief. However, for waterways to remain sustainable in the future, boaters need to pay a fair and reasonable rate. The Environment Agency is currently in discussion with industry over what that rate might be.

Noise-related Complaints

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many noise abatement notices were served in each London borough in each year since 1997. [87276]

Mr. Bradshaw: We do not hold the information requested. Data held relating to noise abatement notices are compiled from voluntary returns from local authorities to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). They are recorded by year, but not location.

The relevant data for 2004-05 for England and Wales are available from the ClEH's website at the following address:

    http://www.cieh.org/library/Knowledge/Environmental_protection/CIEH_annual_noise_complaint_statistics.pdf.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many noise-related complaints have been lodged in each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many of these resulted in further action. [87304]

Mr. Bradshaw: We do not hold the information requested. Data held relating to noise-related complaints are compiled from voluntary returns from local authorities to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). They are recorded by year, but not location.

The relevant data for 2004-05 for England and Wales are available from the CIEH’s website at http://www.cieh.org/library/Knowledge/Environmental_protection/CIEH_annual_noise_complaint_statistics.pdf.

Nuclear Waste

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to ensure the safe disposal of nuclear waste. [88335]

Ian Pearson: The UK Government and devolved Administrations are committed to finding a solution to the problem of nuclear waste. Most radioactive waste is currently stored safely on major sites under licence from the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, and is subject to strict
25 July 2006 : Column 1497W
regulatory control. The environment agencies of the respective Administrations regulate any disposal of waste from nuclear sites.

For higher and intermediate activity radioactive waste, future policy, and arrangements for implementing this, will be decided by the Government in light of the independent Committee for Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM's) final recommendations. CoRWM's report is due to be delivered to the Government at the end of this month and copies will be made available in the Libraries of the House. The Government will make a formal response to CoRWM's report after the summer recess, when the UK Parliament and devolved Administrations are sitting.

Earlier this year, the Government held a public consultation on the long-term UK strategy for dealing with solid, low level radioactive waste. The results of this consultation are being considered and a statement will be made in the autumn.

One Planet Farming Concept

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to elaborate on his one planet farming concept; and how this concept will inform his attempts to renegotiate the Common Agricultural Policy. [87224]

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for DEFRA, made clear in his speech at the Royal Show on 3 July that he wants to encourage a wide ranging debate about the vital role which farming plays in this country and the contribution it can make to one planet living. Working in partnership with key stakeholders, we expect thinking on this issue to develop in the coming months.

An important starting point is the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy: Forward Look, available at:

    http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/pdf/sffs-fwd-060718.pdf

The Forward Look sets out key areas that need to be taken forward to help achieve one planet farming, building on the excellent work that has already been put in place under the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy at a national and regional level. It has five priority themes: succeeding in the market; improving the environmental performance of farming; Sustainable consumption and production; climate change and agriculture and animal health and welfare.

Reducing the environmental footprint of farming was one of the important aims of the last major reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2003. The reforms reduced the environmental impact of agriculture by decoupling subsidies from production, thereby removing an incentive to intensify production, and also by requiring cross compliance with environmental standards.

The review of agri-environment schemes carried out in the light of the 2003 reforms has enabled us to build on the way we support farmers to change their farming methods to conserve biodiversity through the development of the Environmental Stewardship schemes.


25 July 2006 : Column 1498W

The Government’s Vision for the CAP is consistent with, and complimentary to, the Secretary of State’s goal of ‘one planet farming’. The Vision considered agriculture from an environmental perspective (among others) setting out proposals for sustainable farming. In particular the Vision calls for more emphasis on Pillar 2 funding and the total phasing out of coupled payments. Both of these aims will help ensure the CAP secures further environmental benefits.

Organic Production

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many certification bodies are approved by his Department to inspect organic production and processing in the UK; and what checks are being made by his Department on these bodies to ensure that organic producers are complying with relevant UK and EU regulations. [88603]

Ian Pearson: There are 10 Certification Bodies approved to inspect organic production and processing in the UK.

An Approved Certification Body must demonstrate that they satisfy the general requirements for the bodies operating product certification systems (EN45011). They are therefore subject to an annual inspection by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Reports from these inspections are then passed on to the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards (ACOS). Through ACOS, checks are made on a selection of Certification Body inspections to ensure that they are complying with the relevant UK and EU Regulations.

Pollution (Beaches)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to encourage local authorities to deal with pollution on beaches. [88334]

Ian Pearson: Under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, local authorities must keep amenity beaches for which they are responsible generally clear of all types of litter and refuse between 1 May and 30 September inclusive. This duty extends to the place at which the tide flows at mean high water springs.

The recently revised code recommends, as good practice, that duty bodies also carry out a regular monitoring programme of other beaches in their area and develop an appropriate cleansing regime. Under the current and revised European bathing water directive, there is a provision to monitor the presence of litter and other pollutants in identified bathing waters and to manage these accordingly.

Beyond these requirements, local authorities are encouraged to keep beaches clean through the international Blue Flag Award administered in the UK by ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns), and of the UK-wide ENCAMS Seaside Award scheme recognising clean, safe and well-managed beaches. Each year, local authorities can apply for a Blue Flag or Seaside Award, or both, for any of their beaches.


25 July 2006 : Column 1499W

Each application is independently assessed and must satisfy rigorous criteria covering a broad range of factors pertaining to the management of the beach. In 2006, 77 beaches in England were awarded the blue flag, and 229 beaches gained the seaside award.

A new Quality Coast Award scheme is being introduced for applications from this year, to replace the Seaside Awards. This has been developed by ENCAMS with support from Defra, and will further assist and encourage local authorities in dealing with pollution on beaches through a holistic approach to the management of beach areas, recognising the diversity of beach environments and their different uses.

Post Office Network Services

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what services (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies (i) make available and (ii) have made available in the last five years through the Post Office network; through how many outlets the service is or was made available; and how many relevant transactions were undertaken in each case in the most recent year for which figures are available. [79200]

Barry Gardiner: From information held centrally, the core Department has no contracts with the Post Office.

DEFRA does utilise the Post Office to issue Rod Licences and Game Licences. Rod licences are available from all Post Office outlets in England and Wales and, more recently, have been available in selected outlets on the Scottish border. Overall, the number of available outlets has decreased from 17,500 to 13,000 currently. Approximately 1.3 million rod licences are sold annually and the Post Office process just over 1 million annually. In 2005-06, the Post Office issued 1,067,663 rod licences at a total value of £16,338,105.75. Under the 1975 Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, the Environment Agency provides remuneration to the Post Office for the issuance of such licences.

Under section 134 of the Post Office Act 1969, the Post Office issues licences to take game and an excise licence is required to sell game on behalf of local authorities. Under section 135 of the 1969 Act, DEFRA provides remuneration to the Post Office for the issuance of such licences which are available through all branches of the Post Office. The total number of licences issued for the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 were 42,310; 48,385; 66,975;
25 July 2006 : Column 1500W
77,361 and 72,385 respectively. The figures cover licences issued in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Produce Prices

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average (a) farm gate and (b) retail price was of (i) one kilogram of (A) ham, (B) tomatoes, (C) strawberries, (D) apples, (E) grapes, (F) cheese, (G) chicken, (H) potatoes, (I) carrots, (J) lettuce, (K) spring onions and (L) beetroot, (ii) one pint of (A) milk, (B) cream and (C) yoghurt, (iii) one dozen eggs and (iv) one litre of English wine in each year since 1997, broken down by (1) organic and (2) conventionally produced foodstuffs. [87437]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 24 July 2006]: Soil Association guide prices for organic produce in 2005 are shown in table 1. The prices are taken from a range of direct, wholesale and contracted markets. Farm-gate and retail prices are shown in tables 2 and 3. It is not possible to separately identify organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs.

Table 1: Guide prices for organic produce in 2005
Produce

Pork(1)

Per kilo deadweight

220-265

Tomatoes

n/a

Strawberries(2)

Per tonne

3000

Apples(2)

Per tonne

1000-1300

Grapes

n/a

Cheese

n/a

Chicken Contract(1)

Per bird

130

Chicken retail(1)

Per kilo

500+

Potatoes(2)

Per tonne

210-320

Carrots(2)

Per tonne

290-550

Lettuce(1)

Per head

34-55

Spring onions

n/a

Beetroot

n/a

Milk

n/a

Cream

n/a

Yoghurt

n/a

Eggs contract(1)

Per dozen

116-145

Eggs retail(1)

Per dozen

250-300

English wine

n/a

n/a = Not available
(1 )In pence (p)
(2 )In pounds (£)
(3 )Estimated farm-gate price
Source: Soil Association “Organic Market Report 2006”


25 July 2006 : Column 1501W

25 July 2006 : Column 1502W
Table 2: Farm-gate prices
Produce Pence (p) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Pigs

Per kilo

111

81

79

94

98

93

103

103

103

Tomatoes(1)

Per kilo

55

60

58

75

72

79

104

75

87

Strawberries

Per kilo

209

214

210

225

220

244

244

208

199

Apples

Per kilo

53

48

44

36

35

39

46

36

35

Grapes

n/a

Cheese

n/a

Chicken(2)

n/a

86

93

96

Potatoes (all)

Per kilo

7

12

12

8

11

8

10

12

10

Carrots

Per kilo

11

14

14

10

21

20

21

19

23

Lettuce

Per kilo

66

55

59

53

69

68

74

58

60

Spring onions

Per kilo

126

120

113

113

136

129

127

125

124

Beetroot

Per kilo

14

16

16

15

19

26

30

30

29

Milk

Per litre

22

19

18

17

19

17

18

18

18

Cream

Per litre

Yogurt

Per litre

Eggs

Per dozen

39

36

34

39

41

42

46

49

45

English wine

n/a

n/a = Not available
(1 )Round, vine, plum and cherry
(2 )Prior to 2003
Source:
DEFRA

Table 3: Retail prices
Produce Pence (p) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Ham

Per kilo

805

770

770

770

841

796

799

793

1000

Tomatoes

Per kilo

117

123

124

150

125

140

149

129

142

Strawberries

n/a

Apples (dessert)

Per kilo

112

106

103

108

116

121

127

125

118

Grapes

Per kilo

289

306

291

289

312

302

303

294

281

Cheese (cheddar type)

Per kilo

525

500

484

505

510

524

548

567

550

Chicken (Fresh or Chilled)

Per kilo

236

226

220

223

227

224

228

232

230

Potatoes (new)

Per kilo

55

77

71

70

87

87

89

96

84

Carrots

Per kilo

49

53

49

45

61

55

55

57

64

Lettuce iceberg)

Each

63

56

66

55

67

64

73

60

72

Spring onions

n/a

Beetroot

n/a

Milk (whole pasteurised)(1)

Per litre(2)

62

60

60

60

65

63

65

62

61

Cream

n/a

Yoghurt

n/a

Eggs (size 4)

Per dozen

138

131

138

138

152

152

154

155

155

English wine

n/a

n/a = Not available
(1 )Average for 1 litre of shop bought and 1 litre of delivered milk
Source:
Office for National Statistics—average retail prices

Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many public appointments are within his patronage; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83182]

Barry Gardiner: The number of Ministerial appointees on each of Defra’s NDPBs and public corporations and the remuneration and other emoluments they receive (as at 31 March 2006) are as follows.


25 July 2006 : Column 1503W

25 July 2006 : Column 1504W

25 July 2006 : Column 1505W

25 July 2006 : Column 1506W

25 July 2006 : Column 1507W

25 July 2006 : Column 1508W
Body Type of appointee Remuneration (£) Other emoluments (£)

Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances

Chair

205 per day

0

11 members

153 per day

0

Advisory Committee on Organic Standards

Chair

209 per meeting

0

12 members

165 per meeting

0

Advisory Committee on Packaging

Chair

Unpaid

0

8 members

Unpaid

0

Advisory Committee on Pesticides

Chair

204 per meeting

0

Member

161 per meeting

0

Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment

Chair

203 per meeting

0

10 members

157 per meeting

0

Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees

15 chairs

121 per meeting

0

Agricultural Land Tribunals

7 Chairs

331 per day

0

10 Deputy Chairs

331 per day

0

154 members

Unpaid

Financial Loss Allowance—56.96 full day

Agricultural Wages Board

Chair

254 per day

64 Reading allowance

4 Members

158 per day

40 Reading allowance

Agricultural Wages Committees

7 Chairs

121 per day

0

3 Deputy Chairs

96 per day

0

14 members

96 per day

0

Air Quality Expert Group

Chair

199 per day

0

13 Members

154 per day

0

Animal Health and Welfare Strategy England Implementation Group

Chair

500 per day

250 preparation allowance

12 members

300 per day

150 preparation allowance

British Potato Council

Chair

61,784 per annum

0

14 Members

102 per meeting

0

British Waterways

Chair

51,000 per annum

Pensionable Post

Deputy Chair

14,440 per annum

0

7 members

10,948 per annum

0

Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

Chair

450 per day

0

Deputy

300 per day

0

11 members

300 per day

0

Commons Commissioners

Chairs

435 per day

0

1 ‘member’

337 per day

0

Consumer Council for Water

Chair

45,000 per annum

4 members

7,000 per annum

0

4 members

21, 529 per annum

0

2 members

32,292 per annum

0

Countryside Agency

Chair

66,254 per annum

Pensionable Posts

9 members

12,495 per annum

0

6 members

14,280 per annum

0

1 member

46,408 per annum

0

Covent Garden Market Authority

Chair

45,802 per annum

0

7 members

8,921 per annum

0

Darwin Advisory Committee

Chair

Unpaid

0

10 members

Unpaid

0

English Nature

Chair

53,044 per annum

Pensionable post

11 members

8,925 per annum

0

1 member

10,710 per annum

0

Environment Agency

Chair

91, 456 per annum

0

Deputy Chair

30,940 per annum

0

2 members

15,245 per annum

0

3 members

19,057 per annum

0

4 members

22,868 per annum

0

2 members

26,679 per annum

0

Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards

Chair

194 per day

0

10 members

149 per day

0

Farm Animal Welfare Council

Chair

209 per meeting

0

23 Members

129 per meeting

0

Food From Britain

Chair

50,730 per annum

0

12 members

1,800 per annum

Board members also receive 225 per day for chairing subcommittees or representing the board. Total of 8 days shared between 3 members in 2005-06

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Chair

300 per day

0

14 members

57 per day

0

Home Grown Cereals Authority

Chair

25,833 per annum

0

Deputy Chair

8,934 per annum

0

14 members

1,446 per annum

0

Horticulture Development Council

Chair

35,358 per annum

0

14 members

102 per meeting

0

Independent Agricultural Appeals Panel

44 members

162 per day

0

Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB

Chair

190 per day

0

Deputy Chair

157 per day

0

5 members

157 per day

0

Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council

Chair

203 per day

0

Deputy Chair

Unpaid

0

12 Members

Unpaid

0

Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Chair

36,347 per annum

Pensionable post

3 members

8,925 per annum

0

Meat and Livestock Commission

Chair

81,417 per annum

0

Deputy Chair

20,961 per annum

0

5 Members

10,481 per annum

0

1 member

17,820 per annum

0

1 member

10,481 per annum

6,000 for chairing MLC Board of Pension Trustees

1 member

10,481 per annum

45,000 for chairing the English Beef and Lamb Executive

1 member

10,481 per annum

12,000 for chairing the British Pig Executive

Milk Development Council

Chair

33,999 per annum

0

10 members

150 per day

0

National Forest Company

Chair

15,694 per annum

0

7 members

2,807 per annum

0

Nirex CLG Ltd.

Chair

450 per day

0

Pesticide Residues Committee

Chair

163 per meeting

0

8 members

125 per meeting

0

Plant Variety and Seeds Tribunal

10 members

162 per day

0

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Chair

Unpaid

0

10 members

Unpaid

0

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

Chair

237 per day

0

13 members

209 per day

0

Science Advisory Council

Chair

308 per meeting

150 preparation fee

Deputy Chair

200 per meeting

100 preparation fee

10 Members

200 per meeting

100 preparation fee

Sea Fish Industry Authority

Chair

27,475 per annum

0

Deputy Chair

19,083 per annum

0

10 members

8,703 per annum

0

Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee

Chair

163 per day

0

12 members

129 per day

0

Sustainable Development Commission

Chair

15,000 per annum

0

5 members

3,570 per annum

0

8 members

2,675 per annum

0

Veterinary Products Committee

Chair

167 per meeting

0

27 members

133 per meeting

0

Veterinary Residues Committee

Chair

204 per meeting

0

12 Members

167 per meeting

0

Wine Standards Board

Chair

4,576 per annum

0

3 members

1,124 per annum

0

Zoos Forum

Chair

Unpaid

0

Deputy Chair

Unpaid

0

8 members

Unpaid

0


Defra is also responsible for an additional six public bodies that are currently dormant and do not, therefore have any appointees.

Details of the value of pensions and any contributions made by the public bodies are available in their respective annual report and accounts.

Defra was established in 2001 and therefore there is no equivalent information for 1996, 1986 or 1976.

Recycling

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 20 local councils recycled the greatest quantity of one or more recyclable materials in 2005-06. [88904]

Mr. Bradshaw: Data on local authority recycling and composting performances in 2005-06 are not currently available. Figures will be published when we have completed the validation and auditing procedures. Best value performance indicator data for 2004-05 are available from the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/perf_mgmt.htm.


25 July 2006 : Column 1509W

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in (a) England, (b) Middlesbrough and (c) the borough of Redcar and Cleveland have been (i) issued with a fixed penalty notice under section 47ZA and (ii) prosecuted under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for failing to meet their local authority's recycling requirements. [87965]

Mr. Bradshaw: Section 47ZA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), as inserted by section 48 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, allows authorised officers to issue a £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) to any householder not complying with a notice issued under section 46-47 of the EPA.

Local authorities can also prosecute householders for breaches of section 46 of the EPA. This offence carries a maximum fine of £1,000.

The powers exist to help ensure publicised collection arrangements are followed and waste is not left out on the wrong day, at the wrong time or in the wrong receptacle—including those designated for recyclables.

The FPN powers have been in force since 6 April 2006. Data for the number of people issued with an FPN, under the amended EPA are not yet available. Data on prosecutions taken since the amendments, under section 46, will be available in 2007.

Rural Payments Agency

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the overruns in the budget allocation for farming, food and rural affairs in 2006-07 following the problems at the Rural Payments Agency. [88917]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA is committed to living within its overall budget for 2006-07 as voted by Parliament. As a fundamental action in managing the annual budget the Department periodically reviews its internal allocations to ensure that priorities and pressures receive adequate budgetary cover.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Secretary of State has suggested to the Treasury that overruns resulting from problems at the Rural Payments Agency should be met from the Government’s overall contingency reserve. [88919]

Ian Pearson: DEFRA is committed to staying within its budget for 2006-07. It is not anticipated that we need to approach HM Treasury for help with our ability to manage the annual budget.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in each year since February 2004. [88556]

Ian Pearson: The following table shows passes lost and stolen from core DEFRA and its agencies since 2004. Figures for 2006 are from 1 January to date.


25 July 2006 : Column 1510W
Lost Stolen

DEFRA Core Department

2004

152

18

2005

147

11

2006

83

8

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

2004

20

1

2005

20

2

2006

3

0

Central Science Laboratory

2004

15

0

2005

8

2

2006

5

1

Veterinary Laboratories Agency

2004

7

0

2005

28

4

2006

11

0

Rural Payments Agency

2004

19

2

2005

9

0

2006

40

4

Veterinary Medicines Directorate

2004

6

0

2005

10

0

2006

5

0


Ship Breaking

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets he has set for the number of authorised ship-breaking facilities to be established in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [88624]

Ian Pearson: On 30 March, Defra launched a consultation to enable interested individuals and organisations to provide views on the Government’s draft UK Ship Recycling Strategy. The deadline for responses was 22 June.

The draft strategy does not set a target for the number of ship breaking facilities in the UK, as the establishment of such facilities is a matter for commercial decision. Nevertheless, the Government’s strategy proposes a number of areas of action at the domestic level to assist in the expansion of ship recycling capacity, primarily through the provision of guidance. Further information is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/ship.htm.


25 July 2006 : Column 1511W

Smog

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the major causes of smog in London; and what plans the Government have to reduce them; [88177]

(2) what Government targets his Department has set for smog levels in (a) London and (b) England. [88179]

Mr. Bradshaw: Hot, sunny weather, together with contributions from continental Europe carrying the substances which form ground-level ozone, can produce summer smog in London. Ground-level ozone is formed when sunlight acts on nitrogen dioxide and other atmospheric substances close to the ground. The pollutants that cause ground-level ozone come from a range of sources, including petrol and other fuels.

Ozone is a transboundary pollutant (around 50 per cent. of ozone-forming chemicals in the UK originate from continental Europe). It can only be reduced through national and international measures to reduce emissions from the source pollutants. Through international co-operation, the peak levels of ozone have been reduced due to control measures taken in the UK and its European partners. While still a feature of hot sunny weather, the peak levels seen in 2003 were typically less than half those seen in 1976.


25 July 2006 : Column 1512W

New measures announced in recent years will improve this further by cutting ozone-forming chemicals in solvents and decorative paint across the whole of Europe. We are also pushing for greater EU controls on cars.

We have consulted on measures for Petrol Vapour Recovery stage II (PVR II) which will also help by reducing emissions of ozone-forming chemicals. The proposal is that PVR II would, by 1 January 2010, be required to be installed at: (i) all existing service stations with an annual petrol throughput of greater than 3500m(3), and; (ii) all new service stations with an annual petrol throughput greater than 500m(3).

The Air Quality Strategy for England was recently reviewed to find potential new measures to generate health benefits, and the consultation responses are now being considered. The possible package of measures would reduce the average exposure to air pollutants for everyone, and, if implemented, could see an increase in life-expectancy of three months by 2020.

There are a number of targets for ozone which apply to the whole of the UK, including London. The EU Air Quality Daughter Directive on ozone (2002/3/EC) set a number of target values and long-term objectives for ozone; these are set out in the following tables. In addition, the National Emissions Ceilings Directive (2001/81/EC) set limits on the emissions of the ozone precursors, nitrogen oxides and non methane volatile organic compounds, at 1167 kilotonnes and 1200 kilotonnes respectively by 2010.

Parameter Target value for 2010

Target value for the protection of human health

maximum daily 8 hour mean

120 micrograms per metre cubed not to be exceeded more than 25 days three years

Target value for the protection of vegetation

AOT40(1), calculated 1 hour values from May to July

18,000 micrograms per metre cubed hours averaged over five years


Parameter Long-term objective

Long-term objective for the protection of human health

Maximum daily 8 hour mean

120 micrograms per metre cubed

Long-term objective for the protection of vegetation

AOT40(1), calculated from 1 hour values from May to July

6,000 micrograms per metre cubed hours averaged over five years

(1) AOT40 = the sum of the difference between hourly concentrations greater than 80 micrograms per metre cubed and 80 micrograms per metre cubed over a given period using only the one hour values measured between 08:00 and 20:00.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85186]

Barry Gardiner: Since the beginning of October 2005, 14 DEFRA statutory instruments have been reported for defective drafting by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.

Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Supermarket Code of Practice

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the impact on farmers of the Supermarket Code of Practice. [87515]

Ian Pearson: The Supermarket Code of Practice concerns supermarkets’ trading relationships with their immediate suppliers, relatively few of whom are farmers. Responsibility for the code rests with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The OFT carried out an extensive review of the operation of the code, including an audit on supermarkets’ compliance with it, and consultations with suppliers and other interested parties. The conclusions of that review can be found in two reports published by the OFT in March and August 2005
25 July 2006 : Column 1513W
respectively—“Supermarkets: the code of practice and other competition issues” and “Supermarkets: the code of practice and other competition issues, Conclusions”. Copies of these reports can be found on the OFT website.

The Competition Commission has said that it plans to consider what impact the code has on relations between grocery retailers and their suppliers as part of its current investigation into the grocery market.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions on the Supermarket Code of Practice he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, (b) farming organisations, (c) supermarkets, (d) retailer representatives and (e) other relevant bodies. [87516]

Ian Pearson: Responsibility for the supermarket Code of Practice rests with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

In recent months, this Department has not been involved in any substantive discussions on the code with the Department of Trade and Industry or any of the other bodies referred to in the question, although the subject may have arisen in the course of our normal contacts with them.

On 2 June, Lord Rooker wrote to the Competition Commission suggesting, among other things, that it look at the effectiveness of the code as part of its investigation into the grocery market. A copy of the letter is available in the Library of this House.

Trout Farming

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on viral haemorrhagic scepticaemia in trout farms in North Yorkshire. [86079]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has received a wide range of representations on viral haemorrhagic scepticaemia in trout farms in North Yorkshire, from hon. Members and the industry. The representations have taken the form of letters, emails and parliamentary questions. We continue to work closely with interested parties on this issue. I have visited part of the affected area to hear the concerns of Fish farmers at first hand.

Waste Disposal Prosecutions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) private citizens and (b) businesses in (i) England and (ii) each region have been prosecuted for causing pollution from (A) septic tanks and (B) heating oil tanks in each of the last three years; and what the total amount paid out in fines in each category was in each year. [88150]

Mr. Bradshaw: Based on information from the Environment Agency’s National Enforcement Database, there has been one prosecution for causing pollution from septic tanks and four prosecutions for causing pollution from heating oil in the last three years. Details are set out in the following table:


25 July 2006 : Column 1514W
Date Region Individual/company Fine (£)

Septic tanks

21 January 2003

Anglian

Individual defendant

4,000

Heating oil

11 November 2004

Thames

Other legal entity (district council)

18,000

5 January 2005

South West

Individual defendant

2,000

17 February 2005

Wales

Company

2,000

10 May 2005

Southern

Company

1,500


Waste Volumes

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total volume of (a) domestic, (b) commercial and (c) other waste was in the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997; what this represents per head of population; and what proportion was (i) sent to landfill, (ii) incinerated and (iii) disposed of by other means in each case. [88196]

Mr. Bradshaw: The amount of municipal waste, collected by Peterborough city council in each year since 1998, is shown in the following table. No figures are available for 1997-98, as the council did not complete a return for the Municipal Waste Management Survey in this year.

Total municipal waste (tonnes) Arisings per head (tonnes) Percentage landfill Percentage recycled, composted

1998-99

73,371

0.47

82

18

1999-2000

84,537

0.54

80

20

2000-01

84,546

0.54

78

22

2001-02

88,095

0.56

78

22

2002-03

92,299

0.59

76

24

2003-04

91,970

0.58

72

28

2004-05

100,263

0.63

72

28

Source: Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey, 1998-99 to 2003-04. 2004-05 figures are provisional estimates from WasteDataFlow

Municipal waste is that which comes under the control of the local authority and includes both domestic waste and waste collected by the authority from non-household sources. Figures on the amounts of commercial, industrial and other wastes are not available for individual local authority areas.

Water Quality

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the water quality of the (a) River Brent and (b) Welsh Harp reservoir in Brent. [87785]


25 July 2006 : Column 1515W

Ian Pearson: Water quality data for River Brent is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/index.htm. Recent figures for 2005 are scheduled for publication in August.

Biological and chemical assessment is based on a three-year rolling period. Therefore, 2004 includes samples taken in 2002-04 inclusive, summarised in the following table:

2002-04
Percentage
Total assessed River Brent length which is of: Biological quality Chemical quality

Good quality

Fair quality

37

81.5

Poor quality

63

Bad quality

18.5


The General Quality Assessment (GQA) is a grade D (moderate biological water quality). This equates to 37 per cent. (biological score) and 81.5 per cent. (chemical score) of the River Brent.

The stretch from Wembley to Wyke Stream (13km) has a GQA grade E (poor water quality equates to 63 per cent. of the River Brent. Assuming that grade F is bad quality, this stretch relates to the River Brent into the Welsh Harp. There have been no significant changes to the water quality of the river in recent years. No chemical or biological sampling has yet been undertaken in the Welsh Harp Reservoir.

Whales

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what methods are being used by the International Whaling Commission to monitor the behaviour of the Western Pacific Gray Whale; and whether changes in the whales’ behaviour have been documented. [87579]

Mr. Bradshaw: A report on the Western North Pacific Gray Whales was presented during this year’s annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and at a seismic pre-meeting of the IWC Scientific Committee.

A variety of surveys, shore-based, aerial and vessel-based, are being undertaken as part of a Russian research programme. In addition, a photo-identification catalogue has been compiled under a joint research programme (between Russia and the USA) to provide an individual numbering scheme and standardised images of Western Gray Whales that can be used for comparison by other research groups and organisations. Research indicates that the overall distribution of Gray Whales in the north-eastern Sakhalin waters was similar to that in 2004.

Genetic samples have now been collected from 124 individuals. The total of known reproductively active females remains at only 23 individuals. 14 (15.2 per cent.) of the 92 whales identified in 2005 were recorded as ‘skinny’, considerably more than the three and five recorded in 2003 and 2004, respectively. An updated population assessment, based upon these surveys, is more optimistic than last year, mainly due to reduced calving intervals observed in recent years, implying a higher reproductive rate.


25 July 2006 : Column 1516W

Trade and Industry

Access to Work Scheme

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [82232]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department does not keep central records of disabled staff receiving adaptations, equipment or other support through the Access to Work scheme. Details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Animals (Inhumane Killings)

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department has done to ensure that people who put down animals without a licence dispose of the dead animals appropriately; and if he will make a statement. [87511]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

Dead animals must be disposed of in accordance with the EU Animal By-Products Regulation 1774/2002. In addition, environmental controls are imposed on the operators of the installations used for their disposal, through an appropriate environmental permit issued to the operator by the relevant local authority or the Environment Agency. Producers and others handling waste are also subject to a statutory duty of care which requires them to take all reasonable measures in the circumstances to ensure, among other things, that the waste is recovered or disposed of properly.

Area Assistance

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the Government will submit its final UK Assisted Areas map to the European Commission following the closure of the consultation on 7 August. [87357]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The European Commission require two months to consider our proposed map and we will need to ensure that there is sufficient time for the new Assisted Areas map to be considered by Parliament through the secondary legislation proceeding. Stage two of the consultation on the draft Assisted Areas map will close on 7 August. The Government will then consider all responses received. The Government are working to ensure a new map is in place when the present map expires on 31 December 2006.

Bankruptcy

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people declared themselves bankrupt in (a) South East Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) the Eastern Region in each of the last five years. [88736]


25 July 2006 : Column 1517W

Jim Fitzpatrick: Regional insolvency statistics are only available on the basis of the locations of Official Receivers offices, each of which cover a group of county courts where the cases are heard and the courts having jurisdiction over these. It is not possible to provide bankruptcy statistics by constituency, county or Government Office Region. The following table provides the bankruptcy order statistics considered to be closest to those of interest, but they should not be treated as reliable estimates for the administrative geographies requested.

Cambridge County Court Cambridge OR's Office( 1) Anglia Region (OR-based)

2001-02

165

408

3,486

2002-03

167

419

3,614

2003-04

240

562

4,478

2004-05

331

682

5,457

2005-06

484

1,306

8,050

(1) Cambridge OR's Office covers the following county courts: Cambridge, Hertford, Huntingdon and Peterborough

Broadband

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of how many (a) people and (b) households in (i) England, (ii) Sunderland City Council area and (iii) Houghton and Washington East constituency are unable to gain access to broadband in their homes. [87223]

Margaret Hodge: Government do not hold this information but BT has supplied the following:

Broadband availability is estimated by telephone line not by individual or household. The ability to provide broadband is based on a number of factors such as the quality of the telephone line and distance from the exchange although conclusive proof comes by actual use and experience of the service.

Information on the number of lines unable to carry broadband is by ward or city is not collected, but the national average for lines unable to carry broadband is estimated at 0.4 per cent. of all telephone lines. There are other technologies such as cable, wireless, satellite, mobile, which can enable households to access broadband in those few places where BT does not have a suitable infrastructure.

BT's best estimates, within the Houghton and Washington East constituency, are that there are 39,551 lines, and of these Openreach(1) estimates that approximately 150-200 lines will be unsuitable because of loss of signal due to distance from the exchange or interference from electrical noise, and a further 150 because of incompatible technologies. These figures represent approximately 0.5 per cent. and 0.4 per cent. of the available lines.

Within the Sunderland District Unitary Authority area there are 119,431 lines, and of these Openreach(1) estimate that approximately 300-450 lines will be unsuitable for broadband because of loss of signal due to distance from the exchange, and a further 300 because of incompatible technologies. This represents approximately 0.4 per cent. and 0.25 per cent. of the available lines.

    (1) Openreach—is a new multi-billion pound business that is responsible for ensuring all telecoms service providers have
    25 July 2006 : Column 1518W
    transparent and equal access to the local BT network, i.e. equivalence. Openreach's activities are overseen by an "equality of access board", which has a supervisory role. It reports to Ofcom and BT's main board.

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of telephone exchanges that are still not (a) unbundled with respect to the local loop and (b) enabled for broadband in (i) England, (ii) Sunderland City Council area and (iii) Houghton and Washington East constituency. [87230]

Margaret Hodge: Government do not hold this information but BT have supplied the following:

Local Loop Unbundled products can be requested from BT by telecommunication companies at any of the (over 5,500) BT exchanges in the UK. Already over 1,000 exchanges have been unbundled. An exchange could have multiple unbundlers. Over 600,000 lines have been unbundled across the UK and numbers are rising rapidly, we expect to have over 1 million lines unbundled by the end of this year.

BT estimate that 99.9 per cent. of households and businesses are currently served by a broadband enabled exchange. Of the 5,500 BT exchange only 49 are not enabled for broadband and 39 of these are currently being enabled.

All 181 exchanges in the One North East RDA, which includes the Sunderland city council area and the Houghton and Washington East constituency, are enabled for broadband.

Business Continuity Planning

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to ensure individual plc directors are aware of their obligations to their shareholders in respect of business continuity planning; and if he will make a statement. [87905]

Mr. McCartney: Company directors, including plc directors, have no specific statutory obligations in relation to business continuity planning. They do owe general duties to the company, such as the duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence.

All employers, however, have an interest in ensuring effective business continuity planning. The Government are therefore working closely with the business community to encourage and support robust, flexible business continuity planning. In addition to sector-specific forums on business continuity in areas such as the financial and energy sectors, the Government have set up a new Business Advisory Group on Civil Protection through which effective dialogue between business and government on civil protection issues will be pursued, and through which the Government are seeking to provide guidance and support to the business community to assist them in implementing business continuity management. The group is attended by a wide range of business representative organisations.

In addition, the Government have published a wide range of guidance for businesses to assist them with business continuity planning. For example, the Preparing for Emergencies website (www.pfe.gov.uk)
25 July 2006 : Column 1519W
was re-launched in March, and is delivering a single portal for advice to business on emergencies and business continuity.

At a local level, local civil protection practitioners work closely with businesses to assist in emergency preparedness and planning, and in the event of emergencies occurring. The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) places a duty on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations in relation to business continuity planning. This came into force on 15 May 2006.

Business Failures

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to reduce the number of business failures that occur as a result of a major physical disaster; and if he will make a statement. [87903]

Margaret Hodge: All employers should recognise the risk of business failure resulting from a major physical disaster and a wide range of other potentially disruptive incidents such as terrorist activity, pandemic flu and industrial action. The Government are, therefore, working closely with the business community to encourage and support robust, flexible business continuity planning.

In addition to sector-specific forums on business continuity in areas such as the financial and energy sectors, the Government have set up a new Business Advisory Group on Civil Protection through which effective dialogue between business and government on civil protection issues will be pursued, and through which the Government are seeking to provide guidance and support to the business community to assist them in implementing business continuity management. The group is attended by a wide range of business representative organisations.

In addition, the Government have published extensive guidance for businesses to assist them with business continuity planning. The Preparing for Emergencies website (www.pfe.gov.uk) was re-launched in March, and is delivering a single portal for advice to business on emergencies and business continuity.

At a local level, local civil protection practitioners work closely with businesses to assist in emergency preparedness and planning, and in the event of emergencies occurring. The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) places a duty on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations in relation to business continuity planning. This came into force on 15 May 2006.

Capital Maintenance Regulations

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what multilateral agreements have been reached with other EU member states to simplify the regulations for capital maintenance to allow public limited liability companies to make faster and simpler changes in their capital structure. [88578]

Mr. McCartney: Amendments to the Second Company Law Directive (77/9I/EEC) were proposed by the European Commission in October 2004. The
25 July 2006 : Column 1520W
Second Company Law Directive co-ordinates national provisions on the formation of public limited liability companies, minimum share capital requirements, distributions to shareholders and increases and reductions in capital.

The proposed amendments have been modified during consideration by the European Parliament and Council and are expected to be formally adopted in the near future. The amendments relate to matters such as acquisition of shares by a company through contributions in kind, acquisition by a company of its own shares and the financial assistance that a company can give for the acquisition of its shares by a third party.

The proposed amendments arise, in part, from recommendations of the Simpler Legislation for the Internal Market (SLIM) Group in 1999 and those made by a High Level Group of Company Law Experts in 2002. Further details about the proposed amending Directive are available on the Commission’s website at:

    http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/company/capital/index_en.htm

Once formally adopted, the amending Directive must be implemented by member states within 18 months of its coming into force.

Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1485W, on compensation, if he will make client files available to miners who have been refused access by their representatives. [89027]

Malcolm Wicks: The Department would make files available to miners on receipt of a court order requiring it.

Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will arrange for a Minister in his Department to reply to the letter of 2 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Muhammad Islam. [79416]

Mr. Darling: I responded to my right hon. Friend on 22 June.

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 881W, on sickness absence, how many staff in his Department have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures. [84047]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI's records show:
25 July 2006 : Column 1521W

More than two periods (spells) of absence of less than five days for staff in DTI HQ, including SBS and UKTI
Number

2003-04

638

2004-05

531

2005-06

480


Electrical Waste

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) pursuant to EU directive 2002/96/EC, Article 4, what measures have been taken to encourage the design and production of electrical and electronic equipment which take into account and facilitate dismantling and recovery with particular reference to the reuse and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, their components and materials; [88582]

(2) pursuant to EU directive 2002/96/EC, Article 5, what measures have been adopted in order (a) to minimise the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment as unsorted municipal waste and (b) to achieve a high level of separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment; and what systems have been set up to allow the final holders of waste electrical and electronic equipment to return it free of charge. [88583]

Malcolm Wicks: I will be making an announcement in the very near future regarding proposals for implementing EU Directive 2002/96/EC—the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

Electricity Supply

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on energy losses arising through the transmission and distribution of electricity in the UK. [87564]

Mr. Darling: Approximately 2 per cent. of electricity conveyed over the transmission network is lost and a further 6 per cent. over the distribution network. Electricity is lost through a combination of heat, noise and theft. Network businesses are incentivised to reduce these losses.

Electricity Transmission Grid

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of the electricity transmission grid. [87611]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 24 July 2006]: Statistics from National Grid show that transmission (high voltage) network reliability has improved from 99.9989 per cent. between 1995-2000 to 99.9992 percent from 2000-05. On average, electricity transmission companies have reduced their controllable costs by around 50 per cent. since privatisation.

Energy Review

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to page 179 of annex A of the Energy Review, Cm 6887, what estimate he has made of
25 July 2006 : Column 1522W
the cost of the treatment of the reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails in preparation for recycling in fresh fuel; and whether he has asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to provide him with an analysis of the economic feasibility of treating reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails. [86952]

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has not made an estimate of the cost of the treatment of the reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails in preparation for recycling in fresh nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) published its strategy on 30 March 2006. The strategy noted that the NDA is examining the disposition of options for a number of nuclear materials and will be preparing advice to the Department in due course. This advice will include a full lifecycle macro-economic analysis of the potential re-use or disposal options for reprocessed uranium and enrichment tails.

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 286, on the Energy Review, what the (a) length and (b) value was of the contract agreed with AEA Technology Environment. [88681]

Malcolm Wicks: AEA Technology Environment was appointed in March 2006 and completed their work in June 2006.

Contract payments are commercially confidential.

EU Directives

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he expects the implementation of the Cross Border Mergers Directive of 2005 will be achieved by December 2007. [88851]

Mr. McCartney: It is intended to publicly consult on implementing options in respect of the Cross Border Mergers Directive (2005/56/EC) in due course. In accordance with the requirements of the directive, it is expected that the necessary implementing provisions will be in place by the directive's deadline of 15 December 2007.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what stage implementation of the 8th Company Law Directive has reached. [88852]

Mr. McCartney: The 8th Company Law Directive (2006/43/EC) on the statutory audit of annual and consolidated accounts came into force on 29 June 2006. The directive provides for a two year implementation period. The Companies Bill, currently before Parliament, is implementing some of the directive's requirements (for example, defining “statutory audit”; making provisions for auditors of foreign companies listed on the UK's regulated market) for which primary legislation is required.

The Department will be consulting on these areas, as well as on the implementation of other requirements within the directive.


25 July 2006 : Column 1523W

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on multilateral agreements with other EU member states on helping facilitate the exercise of basic shareholders' rights and the cross-border exercise of such rights. [88854]

Mr. McCartney: A new proposal for a directive on the exercise of voting rights by shareholders in the EU was published on 5 January this year. It included amendments to the transparency directive (2004/109/EC).

The proposal is under discussion by the European Parliament and Council.

Foreign Travel

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on foreign travel by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in 2005-06. [67451]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry has recorded expenditure of £3,264,443 on foreign travel in 2005-06. This figure covers travel by DTI and UKTI ministers and officials. All travel by Ministers and officials is undertaken in line with the Ministerial and Civil Service Codes of Conduct.

The following table shows the breakdown on foreign travel by (a) Ministers office and (b) DTI and UKTI officials.

Figures for (a) include costs for Ministers and their Private Office (e.g. Private Secretary travel costs) as figures cannot be broken down further.

Expenditure (£000,000)

MPST Office

195,652

DTI and UKTI Officials

3,068,791


Greenhouses Gases

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) officials have had with the operators of steel production plants on the installation of extraction technologies to remove emissions of greenhouse gases; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the competitiveness of the UK steel industry of the installation of such technology. [88154]

Malcolm Wicks: Government have been involved in many discussions at both ministerial and official level on a range of issues related to the UK steel industry's response to climate change. These have encompassed a range of possible responses by the steel industry to the Government's policies aimed at lowering carbon emissions. The essence of the Government's approach is to use market instruments to provide incentives to firms to reduce carbon emissions. Government policy is not prescriptive in terms of which carbon abating technologies firms should use. Nevertheless, discussions have on occasion made reference to best available technologies for controlling the emission of
25 July 2006 : Column 1524W
greenhouse gases, and have been informed by much research on the ability of the steel industry to abate emissions while still remaining competitive.

Hydro-electricity

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1446W, on hydro-electricity, if his Department will commission a study to determine the potential energy generation from the River Severn (a) from incorporating hydro-electric generating equipment at the five existing weirs between Stourport and Gloucester and (b) from building five variable height weirs with hydro-electric generating equipment between Bridgnorth and Stourport. [85738]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 14 July 2006]: Tidal impoundment schemes—such as barrages and lagoons—and tidal current technologies have the potential to make a significant contribution to carbon reductions. In common with other power generation projects they could bring with then a number of external benefits, but generally are not competitive with other forms of low carbon generation. During the course of the recent Energy Review consultation we received a range of views on tidal generation, in particular on the plans for a Severn Barrage, which could provide around 5 per cent. of current UK electricity demand by 2020. This could cost in the region of £14 billion. It is clear that while attractive in terms of energy generation and associated benefits, plans for a Severn Barrage would raise strong environmental concerns in view of the designations that apply to the Severn Estuary.

We are however, interested in improving our understanding of how to make best use of the potential tidal resource in UK waters. Together with the Welsh Assembly Government, we will therefore work with the Sustainable Development Commission, the South West Regional Development Agency and other key interested parties to explore the issue arising on the tidal resource in the UK, including the Severn Estuary, including potential costs and benefits of development using the range of tidal technologies and their public acceptability.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for Ministers of State in his Department on foreign visits in each of the last three years. [68999]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Expenditure on overnight accommodation for Ministers in the Department of Trade and Industry for financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06 is shown in the table. The year 2005-06 includes travel costs for the six-month period when the UK held the Presidency of the EU. Details of expenditure prior to 2004 is not available at this level of detail.

These figures include the costs of both the Minister and any accompanying private secretaries. All travel by Ministers and officials is undertaken in line with the Ministerial and Civil Services Codes of Conduct.


25 July 2006 : Column 1525W
Expenditure on overnight accommodation by Ministers Office
Financial year £

2004-05

19,918

2005-06

32,026


Multilateral Agreements

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what multilateral agreements have been reached with other EU member states on corporate governance in relation to the collective responsibility of board members for financial statements and key non-financial information. [88579]

Mr. McCartney: Amendments to the Fourth Company Law Directive (78/660/EEC) on the annual accounts of certain types of company and the Seventh Company Law Directive (83/349/EEC) on consolidated accounts were adopted on 14 June 2006 by the European Parliament and Council.

Among other matters, the amending directive provides that board members of companies must be collectively responsible for the drawing up and publication of the annual accounts, the annual (i.e. directors’) report and any separate corporate governance statement. The requirement for a corporate governance statement (either as part of the directors’ report or as a separate statement) is a new disclosure requirement which applies to companies whose securities are traded on a regulated market.

The amending directive will shortly be published in the Official Journal of the EU containing in full the collective responsibility provisions, the requirements as to the content of the corporate governance statement and the types of companies to which it applies. The amending directive must be implemented by member states within two years of its coming into force. The Department of Trade and Industry will be consulting on its implementation.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what multilateral agreements have been reached with other EU member states on new disclosure requirements regarding off-balance sheet arrangements and related party transactions. [88580]

Mr. McCartney: Amendments to the Fourth Company Law Directive (78/660/EEC) on the annual accounts of certain types of company and the Seventh Company Law Directive (83/349/EEC) on consolidated accounts were adopted on 14 June 2006 by the European Parliament and Council.

Among other matters, the amending Directive extends to companies in the EU disclosure requirements in the notes to accounts as regards:

    a. Off-balance sheet transactions - companies will be required to disclose the nature and business purpose of certain company arrangements that are not included in the balance sheet and the financial impact of those arrangements; and

    b. Related party transactions—information about certain transactions which have been entered into by the company with related parties must be disclosed.

The amending Directive will shortly be published in the Official Journal setting out the new disclosure provisions in full, their scope and member state options to grant exemptions from them. The amending
25 July 2006 : Column 1526W
Directive must be implemented by Member States within two years of its coming into force. The Department of Trade and Industry will be consulting on its implementation.

National Nuclear Laboratory

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with (a) British Energy, (b) BNFL, (c) the NDA and (d) NIREX regarding the creating of a National Nuclear Laboratory. [87612]

Mr. Darling [holding answer 24 July 2006]: In assessing the need for a National Nuclear Laboratory, my officials have had discussions with a broad range of purchasers and providers of nuclear Research and Development.

Nuclear Decommissioning Agency

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he made of the extent to which there was a potential conflict of interest when a director of the Environment Agency was appointed to the Board of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency; and if he will make a statement. [87383]

Malcolm Wicks: I refer to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 135W.

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on plans to merge the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority with Nirex. [87563]

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.

Future policy, and arrangements for implementing this, will be decided by the Government in light of the Committee for Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM's) final recommendations. CoRWM's report is due to be delivered to the Government at the end of this month and copies will be made available in the Libraries of the House. The Government will make a formal response to their report after the parliamentary summer recess.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85196]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Current date shows that the department has 25 questions remaining unanswered as of 10 July 2006. Four are unanswered between two and three weeks of tabling and 21 unanswered in over three weeks.

Delays in answering questions occur for a number of reasons including the need to obtain information from external agencies and other bodies, and problems related to the transfer of questions between Government Departments.


25 July 2006 : Column 1527W

The Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of them being tabled. This is not always possible but the department makes every effort to achieve this.

Petrol Stations

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many petrol stations there were in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cumbria, (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale, (d) urban areas and (e) rural areas in each year since 1997. [88642]

Malcolm Wicks: The number of petrol station in England and Wales and in Cumbria is as follows:

Year end England and Wales Cumbria

1998

11,720

185

1999

11,513

184

2000

11,185

182

2001

10,437

170

2002

9,873

156

2003

9,139

151

2004

8,778

144

2005

8,226

129


The data was provided by Catalist Ltd. and was first collected in 1998. Data on numbers of rural and urban petrol stations, and Westmorland and Lonsdale, is not available.

Planning (Romney Marsh)

Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the correspondence between his Department and English Nature in respect of the application for permission for a wind farm at Little Cheyne Court, Romney Marsh. [87426]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 24 July 2006]: No. The correspondence between the Department and English Nature during the consideration of the application was placed on the planning register and is therefore already in the public domain.

Post Office

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultation was undertaken with (a) Postwatch and (b) Postwatch East prior to the recent decision of his Department not to renew the Post Office Card Account contract. [45463]

Mr. Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.

DWP officials have met Postwatch a number of times in the past to discuss the direct payment of benefits and pensions. Government funding for the Post Office card account will continue until March 2010 as always planned. This was provided for in the Post Office card account contract agreed by DWP and Post Office Limited in March 2002. An abridged version of the contract has been placed in the Library. The details of the contract were not discussed with Postwatch.


25 July 2006 : Column 1528W

My officials met with officials from the national Postwatch organisation on 27 January 2006 and had a constructive discussion about our future strategy for paying benefits and pensions, including our small-scale pilots. A summary report of the pilot findings has now been placed in the Library. My officials have been in regular contact with Postwatch since that meeting, including attending meetings at Postwatch's Counters Advisory Group.

Postal Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received regarding the awarding of Post Office franchises to WH Smith stores; and what discussions he has had with the Post Office on this matter. [88677]

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have received representations from the hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mrs. James).

I have also had a discussion with Alan Cook, Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., on this in an initial meeting held on 22 June, following the decision.

Decision on individuals Post Offices branches are operational matters for which the management of Post Office Ltd. (POL) have direct responsibility.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) which companies bid for the Post Office franchises in addition to WH Smith; [88678]

(2) whether franchises for postal services awarded to WH Smith include a requirement for re-investment in postal services by that company. [88679]

Jim Fitzpatrick: Decisions on individual Post Office branches are operational matters for which the management of Post Office Ltd. (POL) have direct responsibility. I have, therefore, asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member on the issues he has raised concerning the franchising of services.

Public Payphones

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many public payphones have been removed in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; what steps the Government have taken to improve access to public payphones in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [86076]

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what publicly (a) funded and (b) administered support schemes for renewable energy research, development and generation have been
25 July 2006 : Column 1529W
available since 1995; and how much was allocated to each programme in each year. [85233]

Malcolm Wicks: It has not been possible to collate all public expenditure and other Government support since 1995 for energy technologies in the time available at proportionate cost.

Aside from the Renewables Obligation, which is the Governments main mechanism for delivering renewables generation, the Government are investing around £500 million, between 2002 and 2008, in capital grants and research and development to support Low Carbon Technologies. Money that has already been allocated includes £50 million for the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund, £60 million for bio-energy, £41 million (this includes £10 million for PV Field Trials) for photovoltaics, £12.5 million for community renewables and £117 million for offshore wind.

The Chancellor also recently announced in the Budget a further £50 million, on top of the £30 million
25 July 2006 : Column 1530W
that the Minister for Energy had previously announced, for the Low Carbon Building Programme, which encourages micro generation and energy efficiency in buildings.

In addition to this both DEFRA and the Scottish Executive provide funding to the Carbon Trust which conducts research into low carbon energy activities among other activities. DEFRA also funds research into combined heat and power, which is also detailed in the following tables.

The Government's support for clean, low carbon road vehicle and fuel technologies, including support for research, development and demonstration projects, was summarised in the 2002 Powering Future Vehicles Strategy, a copy of which is available via the Department for Transport's website at:

    http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_506885.hcsp

The following tables show the Governments direct spend per technology for 1995 to 2005.

DTI New and Renewable Energy Programme—External Spend for each technology area by financial year from 1990-91
Spend (rounded to nearest thousand)
Programme Area 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000

Bio Wastes

1,235,000

1,097,000

593,000

75,000

48,000

25,000

Biomass

2,350,000

2,313,000

1,937,000

1,317,000

1,076,000

1,585,000

Embedded Generation

908,000

835,000

647,000

586,000

530,000

596,000

Fuel Cells

915,000

1,172,000

914,000

900,000

1,197,000

1,168,000

Geothermal - Aquifers

0

0

0

0

0

0

Geothermal - Hot Dry Rocks

245,000

0

0

0

0

0

Hydro

148,000

79,000

142,000

57,000

80,000

138,000

Solar

2,067,000

1,878,000

1,874,000

1,660,000

983,000

1,278,000

Tidal

220,000

165,000

0

0

0

0

Wave

106,000

42,000

50,000

0

91,000

11,000

Wind

2,729,000

3,370,000

2,365,000

1,240,000

950,000

801,000


Programme Area 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Bio Wastes

56,000

13,000

42,000

259,000

(1)974,222

Biomass

1,267,000

1,333,000

1,595,000

1,346,000

(1)

Embedded Generation

589,000

776,000

1,424,000

725,000

1,105,640

Fuel Cells

1,410,000

1,249,000

1,200,000

1,701,000

4,907,430

Geothermal - Aquifers

0

0

0

0

0

Geothermal - Hot Dry Rocks

0

0

0

0

0

Hydro

60,000

130,000

200,000

85,000

0

Solar

1,264,000

1,522,000

4,485,000

3,131,000

1,970,340

Tidal

27,000

305,000

1,996,000

2,914,000

(2)1,268,530

Wave

331,000

662,000

748,000

2,104,000

(2)

Wind

913,000

1,248,000

1,428,000

1,395,000

1,459,600

(1) A combined spend for the two areas.

DTI Capital Grant Programmes
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Biomass (DTI and Lottery spend)

10,000

1,913,000

Offshore Wind Capital Grants

0

15,000,000

Clear Skies Community Renewables

200,000

1,387,000

2,413,000

Major PV Demo Programme

960,000

2,880,000

6,450,000



25 July 2006 : Column 1531W

25 July 2006 : Column 1532W
DEFRA CHP Programme
£

1994-95

500,000

1995-96

500,000

1996-97

700,000

1997-98

1,000,000

1998-99

1,300,000

1999-2000

1,900,000

2000-01

2,500,000

2001-02

2,800,000

2002-03

1,600,000

2003-04

2,500,000

2004-05

2,000,000

Note:
Several indirect measures of state support for CHP were introduced in 2001-02. Of those that can be enumerated, climate change levy exemption on fuel inputs to Good Quality CHP

Research Councils Energy R&D Expenditure
£000
1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Biofuel

0

0

0

22

52

144

135

92

Biomass

447

871

736

601

701

783

1,043

1,158

CHP

4

36

63

77

267

357

226

71

CO2 sequestration

0

0

0

23

42

78

30

966

Fuel cells

888

1,012

703

899

1,145

1,468

1,193

917

Hydrogen and other Vectors

30

136

59

83

319

517

1,494

1,477

Solar

1,440

1,286

1,076

1,134

1,130

1,157

1,453

1,503

Photovoltaic

2,255

3,002

2,760

2,992

3,536

2,770

2,381

2,676

Wave and tidal

0

157

175

301

606

617

830

995

Wind

200

226

178

261

330

490

482

243

Waste

66

10

40

40

96

125

169

154

Geothermal

0

0

0

40

65

64

73

79

Storage

326

650

670

838

889

810

730

467

Networks

1,348

1,168

1,081

919

1,115

1,388

1,805

2,390

Other renewable

0

49

49

128

28

28

28

30


Rural Post Office Network

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government plan to consult on its proposals for the rural post office network; and if he will make a statement. [88626]

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are at present carefully considering options for the network beyond 2008, though we are not working to a fixed timetable. There has already been extensive informal consultation with key stakeholders and we expect to consult more widely in due course.

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government expect to decide whether to extend the Social Network Payment to support rural post offices beyond 2008. [88627]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are committed to supporting the rural post office network with annual Social Network Payments of £150 million for the next two years. We are at present carefully considering options for the network beyond 2008 and will take decisions only after proper consideration of all the issues.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in each year since February 2004. [88558]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of DTI identity passes which have been lost or stolen on a year-by-year basis, March to April, since February 2004 are as follows:

Passes lost/stolen

March 2004 to February 2005

101

March 2005 to February 2006

67

March to July 2006

32


The Department’s records do not differentiate between passes reported as lost or stolen. There is nothing on the pass to identify the pass holder as a member of DTI’s staff nor to which buildings it enables access.

Severn Barrage

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expected timetable is for the proposed study into a Severn Barrage for the production of tidal power. [85562]

Malcolm Wicks: During the course of the energy review consultation we have received a range of views on tidal generation, in particular on the plans for a Severn Barrage, which could provide around 5 per cent. of current UK electricity demand by 2002. This could cost in the region of £14 billion. It is clear that, while attractive in terms of energy generation and associated benefits, plans for a Severn Barrage would raise strong environmental concerns in view of the designations that apply to the Severn Estuary.

We are however interested in improving our understanding of how to make best use of the potential tidal resource in UK waters. Together with the Welsh Assembly Government, we will therefore work with the Sustainable Development Commission, the South West Regional Development Agency and other key interested parties to explore the issues arising on the tidal resource in the UK, including the Severn Estuary,
25 July 2006 : Column 1533W
including potential costs and benefits of developments using the range of tidal technologies and their public acceptability.

Sir Alistair Graham

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 301W, on Sir Alistair Graham, how many days work per week were expected of Sir Alistair Graham as Chairman of the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the Telephone Information Services. [88611]

Margaret Hodge: Sir Alistair Graham is contracted to ICSTIS for an average of two days per week.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85178]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry has had five Statutory Instruments reported for defective drafting by JCSI since October 2005. They are as follows:

    Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006

    S.I. 2006/246)—Twenty-second report of JCSI: Published 28 March.

    Ceramic Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1179)—Twenty-eighth report of JCSI: Published 13 June.

    Measuring Instruments (Automatic Catchweighers) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1257)—Thirtieth Report of JCSI: Published 27 June.

    Measuring Instruments (Cold-water Meters) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1268)—Thirty-First Report of JCSI: Published 4 July.

    Measuring Instruments (Non-Prescribed Instruments) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1270)—Thirty-First Report of JCSI: Published 4 July.

In each case the Department responded with a Memorandum.

Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Strategic Environmental Assessment

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has commissioned to fill the data gap identified by Strategic Environmental Assessment 6. [88866]

Malcolm Wicks: For the purpose of this answer I assume that the data gap referred to is on the impact of underwater noise on marine mammals.

In the Post Consultation Report to SEA 6 it was stated:

    “While the SEA process can result in the recommendation and promotion of work on marine mammals and underwater noise, the scope and design of such studies is seen as a collaborative exercise involving a range of stakeholders.”


25 July 2006 : Column 1534W

An extremely large study on noise and its impacts on marine mammals has recently been commissioned by a consortium of oil companies under the management of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) and data gaps identified in SEA 6 may be filled through that process.

On marine mammal calving/nursery grounds—the DTI is awaiting the results of the SCANS II (Small Cetaceans in the European Atlantic and North Sea) survey conducted in summer 2005 and in the light of these may commission through the SEA process a review of the science base of breeding biology of selected marine mammals in British waters. The scope of this review would be discussed with our statutory advisers and a number of interested stakeholders.

SEA 6 post consultation report is available on the following website:

    http://www.offshore-sea.org.uk/consultations/SEA_6/SEA_6_Post_Consultation_Report_Rev1.pdf

Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board

Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings he has had with each of the members of the Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board in each of the last five years. [87560]

Mr. Darling: The Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board (SEPAB) was established in December 2003. Ministers in this department and other government departments have met members of SEPAB a number of times since 2003.

Timber/Coal Mining

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) timber and (b) coal mining industries in the UK. [88600]

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is as follows:

(a) DTI provides a range of business support services for industry and has provided funding to the timber sector through Selective Finance for Industry for the development of a computer operated timber frame production system. We liaise closely with the key timber trade associations and raise the industry's issues and concerns across Government. In addition we support the industry's "wood for good" campaign which aims to boost wood's market share in the UK. In addition the Forestry Commission provides business support to the forestry and timber industries through the England Forest Industries Partnerships (EFIP) and Scottish Forestry Cluster. The Department for the Environment, Food and Regional Affairs has set up the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) to help public sector bodies and their suppliers source legally harvested timber from well-managed forests. This is a free advice service which helps to support the timber industry's response to Government demands for legal and sustainable timber.


25 July 2006 : Column 1535W

(b) The Government have provided over £220 million of state aid to the coal industry since 2000; £163 million of this was UK Coal Operating Aid paid during 2000-02, £58.3 million was Coal Investment Aid, which has been paid since 2003 and is still being drawn down.

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries are participating in the training of (a) the Afghan National Army and (b) the Afghan police force; and what responsibilities each has been tasked to undertake. [84154]

Des Browne: As outlined in the 2001 Bonn Agreement, and reaffirmed under the recent Afghanistan Compact, the United States and Germany are the lead partner nations for the development of the Afghan National Army and Afghan national police respectively.

Task Force Phoenix is the organisation within Combined Security Transition Command—Afghanistan which is responsible for the provision of embedded training teams and training courses for the Afghan National Army. Task Force Phoenix is led by the US and comprises personnel from UK, France, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Romania, Lithuania and Mongolia. A number of other nations also provide specific training courses to Afghan National Army personnel inside and outside Afghanistan.

Africa

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution the armed forces are making to supporting peace and security in Africa. [87210]

Mr. Ingram: UK armed forces personnel are playing an important role in helping build African peace support capacity and teaching the principles of good governance and the democratic accountability of armed forces. British military personnel are providing training and technical assistance to the African Union, to African regional organisations and peace support centres, and bilaterally to key partner countries, in order to help build long-term conflict prevention and peacekeeping capacity. For example, in Sierra Leone, we are helping rebuild the armed forces to ensure future stability, while in Sudan we are directly supporting the African Union Mission in Darfur and providing pre-deployment training of African peacekeeping troops being sent there. UK personnel are also supporting UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Defence Analytical Services Agency Website

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2006,
25 July 2006 : Column 1536W
Official Report, column 1878W, on the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA), for what reasons TPS 6 remains unavailable on the DASA website. [86491]

Mr. Watson: TSP6 has been published on the DASA website since publication was resumed on 12 September 2005 with the production of statistics relating to 1 April 2005. The latest edition, relating to 1 April 2006 was published on 15 June 2006 and can be found at the following URL: http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp6/tsp6_apr06.pdf and copies are available in the Library of the House. There are two links to this document on the front page of the DASA website: one in the Publications section and the other in the What's new section. Links to earlier editions are listed at the following URL: http//www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/pubsindex.html. TSP6 is not listed with DASA's National Statistics publications because TSP6's National Statistics status is suspended as a result of doubts over the continuity and timeliness of the supply of information from the relevant data sources.

Defence Food Supply Contract

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 210W, on the defence food supply contract, what percentage of the meat supplied to British troops under the contract is from British farms. [88610]

Mr. Ingram: During the last financial year, under the current food supply contract, 42 per cent. of the beef, 100 per cent. of the pork and 5 per cent. of the lamb supplied to the UK based armed forces was of British origin.

Departmental Estate

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estate sales his Department has made in each year since 1997; what the value of these sales was in each year; what the current value of the departmental estate is; and what sites he plans to sell. [86995]

Mr. Watson: The disposal receipts for each year are:

£ million

1998-99

59

1999-2000

293

2000-01

225

2001-02

185

2002-03

279

2003-04

207

2004-05

212

2005-06

258


These are published in the Defence Estates Annual Report and Accounts. A list of the sites in the present programme and those earmarked for future disposal is available as a regularly updated list provided to the House of Commons Library. The next revised list will be available by the end of August 2006. The value of the defence estate worldwide as at 31 March 2005 exceeds £18 billion on an existing use basis.


25 July 2006 : Column 1537W

Departmental Remuneration Strategy

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to Releasing the resources to meet the challenge ahead, Cm 6889, what reviews he has made of his Department’s work force remuneration strategy. [86915]

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence has concluded a thorough review of its civilian remuneration strategy which has formed the basis of its negotiating remit for the 2006 pay deal, on which discussions continue with HMT. The MOD also produces an annual civilian work force plan which identifies work force issues relevant to business delivery.

A strategic review of remuneration for the armed forces is currently being conducted.

Forces Pay (Computers)

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the computer system responsible for paying the salaries of members of the British armed forces. [87004]

Mr. Watson [holding answer 20 July 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 711W and 14 July 2006, Official Report, column 2120W, respectively to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper). I am now also able to update the figures for overpayments and underpayments in the June Pay run provided in my answer of 14 July. These are as follows: 485 incorrect payments of which: 227 (47 per cent.) overpayments, 258 (53 per cent.) underpayments.

Helicopters

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which (a) medium and (b) heavy lift helicopters are able to deploy to Afghanistan with immediate effect. [85794]

Des Browne [holding answer 17 July 2006]: I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 24 July 2006, Official Report, columns 74-76WS. The helicopter support deployed to Afghanistan meets the operational commander’s current requirements.

Iraq

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what publicly advertised (a) financial and (b) other inducements are funded by the Government to residents of Iraq to encourage the supply of information on the operation of insurgents to (i) the armed forces and (ii) British officials in Iraq. [82510]

Des Browne: There are no publicly advertised financial or other inducements for the supply of information to UK armed forces or officials in Iraq. There are, however, two initiatives set up to encourage Iraqis in MND(SE) to telephone in confidence to
25 July 2006 : Column 1538W
report criminal activities (including acts of insurgency and terrorism). These do not advertise the likelihood of any financial reward.

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress in the training of the Iraqi (a) navy and (b) air force. [84560]

Des Browne: The Iraqi navy plays an important role in protecting the oil facilities vital to Iraq’s economic well-being. Recognising this, the UK continues to play a lead role in providing training and support. Specifically, the UK provides a Naval Assistance and Training Team at Umm Qasr Naval Base, officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, and seaborne support to the Iraqi navy and marines during maritime security operations in the northern Arabian Gulf. Royal Navy warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels will regularly form part of the coalition Task Force overseeing the security of the oil platforms until the Iraqi navy are ready to fully assume this task. In February 2006, the Iraqi marines took the lead in protecting the Al Basrah Oil Terminal, which itself accounted for the vast majority of Iraqi crude oil exports in 2005.

In the longer term, a capable air force will form an important element of Iraq’s armed forces. The UK contributes to the training of the Iraqi air force under a US lead by providing a number of key staff officers to advise senior Iraqi air force commanders. Additionally, a small number of UK personnel are involved in training tasks in Iraq.

Joint Personnel Administration

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, columns 710-11W, on joint personnel administration, what definition he uses of the term formal grievance. [87005]

Mr. Watson [holding answer 20 July 2006]: Where an individual remains dissatisfied with the response provided under the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency’s internal complaints system they are able to invoke a formal grievance under the RAF Redress To Complaint procedure, section 180 of the Air Force Act 1955/Queens Regulations for the RAF 1000.

Lebanon

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Royal Navy has a sufficient presence in the Mediterranean Sea to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon. [88828]

Mr. Ingram: The success of the Royal Navy’s evacuation operation of UK nationals and others from Lebanon since the recent hostilities began has demonstrated that its personnel and vessels were more than equal to the task.
25 July 2006 : Column 1539W

Military Equipment (Complaints Procedure)

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there is a facility in the Army for soldiers to (a) record and (b) anonymously record their concerns about the capability and adequacy of their equipment. [82566]

Mr. Ingram: There are a number of ways available for soldiers to raise issues, faults and suggestions for improvement to equipment, including through the Chain of Command. At present there are no specific methods available to do so anonymously.


25 July 2006 : Column 1540W

Military Vehicles

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 913W, on military vehicles, how many of the vehicles are (a) available to be deployed immediately, (b) undergoing repair, (c) undergoing Bowman conversion, (d) in storage and (e) being used for training purposes. [84660]

Mr. Ingram: A breakdown of the armoured vehicle fleet as at 21 April 2006 is shown in the following tables:

Operationally Deployable

Equipment

Fleet size Immediately deployable/currently deployed In 1( st) or 2( nd) line maintenance Undergoing Bowman conversion Storage Used for training purposes

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank

385

120

70

70

(1)46

67

Saxon(2)

622

206

15

358

Warrior Infantry Fighting (all variants)

794

368

234

17

8

108

Spartan

478

251

146

8

2

45

Scimitar

328

172

102

4

2

23

Striker

48

19

25

0

3

0

Samson

50

30

16

1

0

1

Samaritan

50

31

8

3

3

1

Sultan

205

133

54

5

2

2


Equipment Total operationally deployable In 4( th) line maintenance With design authority

Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank

327

10

2

Saxon(2)

579

38

5

Warrior Infantry Fighting (all variants)

735

50

9

Spartan

452

23

3

Scimitar

303

19

6

Striker

47

0

1

Samson

48

1

1

Samaritan

46

3

1

Sultan

196

6

3

(1) Salvaged or impaired tanks, and those on loan - not counted as operationally deployable
(2) Saxon General War Role (GWR) is currently being withdrawn from Mechanised Infantry Battalions.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles were purchased for Army use; on what date they were purchased; what the total purchase price was; (a) by which formations, (b) for what purposes and (c) when the vehicles were used; and if he will make a statement; [80568]

(2) what modifications were made to the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles in order to enhance mine protection and the TMRP-6 threat; how many vehicles were modified; what the total cost was of those modifications while on the Army inventory; and if he will make a statement; [80569]

(3) what (a) maintenance and (b) other difficulties were experienced by Army formations in their use of the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles while on their charge; what steps were taken to resolve those difficulties; what outcomes resulted from those steps; and if he will make a statement; [80570]

(4) when and to whom the inventory of OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles was disposed of; how much was received; what the end destination of the vehicles was; and if he will make a statement; [80571]

(5) if he will assess (a) ease of maintenance and (b) reliability of the (i) OMC/Alvis Mamba and (ii) current version of the RG-31M. [80573]

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for replacing the Mamba vehicle with the mine-protected vehicle; and what the estimated cost is. [81608]

Mr. Ingram: The Mamba mine-protected vehicle was based on an earlier version of the RG-31. In response to an operational requirement for a vehicle protected against blast and explosively formed projectile attack from below and small arms, fragmentation and some blast from the side 14 second-hand Mamba vehicles were bought in three batches through the Urgent Operational Requirements process between 1996-99. Six were bought in 1996 for the NATO implementation force mission in Bosnia; three were procured in 1999 for operations in Macedonia; and a further five were bought later in 1999 for operations in Kosovo. The approval cost of the first six was around £1.2 million and the second and third batches cost £1 million and
25 July 2006 : Column 1541W
£2.3 million respectively. They were used by specialist teams for explosive ordnance disposal tasks such as reconnaissance, rescue and recovery and route proving and were deployed in the Balkans until 2003.

The Mamba vehicle was delivered to the Ministry of Defence following modification of the base vehicle by the contractor, Alvis with the addition of appliqué belly armour to withstand attack by shaped-charge mines. This modification was included in the purchase cost. The extra weight of the appliqué armour was found to overload the Mambas and caused reliability and safety problems. The high level of maintenance required to keep the vehicles operational was exacerbated by a lack of commonality between the individual vehicles and poor availability of spares. In May 2001, due to road safety issues, their use was restricted to operational situations where there was a significant threat of minestrikes. Since the current version of the RG-31 is not in service with the UK armed forces we cannot comment on its ease of maintenance or reliability.

The MOD considered modifying and refurbishing the vehicles but replacement with a new vehicle was identified as the better option. As a result the vehicles were disposed of in 2004 for a total of £44,000. Nine were sold to Estonia, four to a US company and one to a company based in Singapore.

Munitions

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on developing partnering arrangements with non-BAE suppliers on general munitions. [86657]

Mr. Ingram: Partnering agreements are already in place with three key non-BAES (Land Systems Munitions) suppliers: PW Defence (part of the Chemring Group), Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH and Wallop Defence Systems. Subject to satisfactory completion of negotiations, we hope to agree partnering arrangements with Chemring Counter Measures and Nobel Enterprises over the next two years.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he will reply to question 16696 on fatalities in Iraq, tabled by the hon. Member for Thurrock on 7 October 2005; and what the reason is for the delay in replying; [86520]

(2) how many fatalities to UK service personnel in Iraq have been caused, wholly or in part, by (a) infrared bomb technology and (b) armour piercing bombs; and if he will make a statement. [16696]

Mr. Ingram [holding answers 10 October 2005 and 19 July 2006]: I regret the delay in providing an answer to my hon. Friend’s question of 7 October 2005. This was due to an administrative error, which new procedures for recording and tracking parliamentary questions will prevent in the future.

As at 17 July 2006, a total of 114 British armed forces personnel have died while serving on Operation TELIC since the start of the campaign in March 2003.
25 July 2006 : Column 1542W
Of these, 85 are classed as killed in action, including 25 as a result of Improvised Explosive Devices. Information on fatalities in Iraq is available on the MOD website at www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsInIraq and in the Libraries of the House. The release of further information relating to the circumstances of successful attacks on UK forces could compromise operational security thereby placing our servicemen and women in additional unnecessary danger or potential harm.

Peacekeeping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Army to undertake its peacekeeping roles effectively. [88806]

Mr. Ingram: While we recognise that the Army is busy I am confident that it is able to meet all its current peacekeeping commitments.

Piracy

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps his Department has taken to counter the threat posed by piracy in international waters. [87705]

Mr. Ingram: United Kingdom Government policy for counter-piracy primarily rests with the Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate of the Department for Transport and also the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They have a coordinated counter-piracy strategy and action plan designed to protect seafarers and ships from piracy attack. This work has been presented to the International Maritime Organization and other international organisations and States to encourage a more coordinated effort to combat the problem.

Royal Navy ships, while not specifically committed to counter-piracy duties, will, whenever they are on hand to do so, take all appropriate measures to respond to incidents of piracy on the high seas in accordance with international law. Furthermore, the Royal Navy works closely with the Department for Transport on shipping protection issues and maintains a worldwide Maritime Trade Operations policy which enables it to offer a number of options to support merchant shipping. These range from provision of routine advice and guidance, through to active protection of merchant vessels.

Private Military Companies

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to establish (a) operating standards and (b) licensing controls for the regulation of private military companies. [88108]

Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply (UIN 87939) on the current Government position regarding regulation of private military and security companies. The review of options for regulation covers both of the issues raised by the hon. Member.


25 July 2006 : Column 1543W

Project MASS

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on project MASS (Munitions Acquisition the Supply Solution). [86656]

Mr. Ingram: Project MASS is currently in its Assessment Phase which seeks to identify the best options to provide us with the operational capability our armed forces need combined with the best long term value for money.

Service Personnel (Dismissal)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been sacked from the armed forces on the grounds of their sexuality since the first year for which figures are available; how many have been compensated; what the (a) highest and (b) average amount of compensation is; how many whose cases have not yet been determined remain to be compensated; how many have had compensation refused; how many were denied compensation on a Limitation Act 1980 based defence; and if he will make a statement. [87790]

Mr. Watson [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The Ministry of Defence does not hold centralised records of those personnel who left or were dismissed on grounds of their sexual orientation. However, 38 personnel have received compensation. The highest compensation award was £147,875, with the average award being £35,598. 62 claims remain to be settled. 57 had compensation refused. The Ministry of Defence has not relied upon the Limitation Act 1980 in defence of any of these claims.

Spare Parts

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the spare parts availability shortfall rate is for (a) Typhoon and (b) Hercules C-130 aircraft. [87036]

Mr. Ingram: For the Typhoon aircraft I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 June 2006, Official Report, column 1236W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).

For the Hercules fleet, spares demands satisfied from MOD stocks average 90 per cent. for the C-130K, and 75 per cent. for the C-130J. Spare parts availability for the Hercules fleet as a whole has been sufficient to meet its operational commitments.

Submarine Flotilla

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on the development of a programme level partnering agreement with a single industrial entity for the full life cycle of the submarine flotilla; and if he will make a statement. [86664]

Mr. Ingram: We remain convinced of the need for consolidation in the submarine industrial base and detailed discussions with industry on the scope of a
25 July 2006 : Column 1544W
possible programme level partnering agreement are continuing. Improved supply chain management must also take place to safeguard capability and to incentivise better performance; working level negotiations continue with the key elements of industry on this basis. Given the number of industrial players in the submarine domain, consolidation to one entity may not be possible; other solutions such as an alliance or a joint venture are also being examined. MOD is considering a number of possible options with industry; none of these have yet resulted in an acceptable way ahead, but negotiation is under way.

Systems (Core Load)

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what progress his Department has made in arriving at a common understanding of the core load required to sustain high-end design, systems engineering and combat systems integration skills; and if he will make a statement; [86660]

(2) when he expects to produce a sustainability strategy for key maritime industrial capabilities; and if he will make a statement. [86662]

Mr. Ingram: We are making progress on assessing the Core Work Load required to sustain the maritime Key Industrial Capabilities, though we have not achieved the target of completing this within six months of publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy. This work is complex and it is important to ensure the links and coherency between the surface ship, submarine and support programmes are right. Industry has been, and will continue to be, involved. As the sustainability strategy for key maritime equipment industrial capabilities is intimately linked to this work, this has also been delayed. We will ensure that this work is completed efficiently and effectively and as quickly as possible.

Tour Intervals

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest tour interval was for the (i) RAF Field Regiment, (ii) RAF Rapier, (iii) RAF Biological Detection and (iv) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment squadrons. [87021]

Mr. Ingram: All Royal Air Force personnel are liable to be deployed overseas to support operations. The following table gives the details of tour intervals between operational deployments of formed units during the three year period from July 2003 to June 2006.


25 July 2006 : Column 1545W
Months
Average tour interval Short tour interval Longest tour interval

RAF Regiment Field Squadrons

13

12

16

RAF Rapier Squadrons

12

5

18

RAF Biological Detection Squadron(1)

Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment Squadrons(1)

(1) Neither the RAF biological detection squadron (embedded within the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment) nor any of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment squadrons have deployed as a formed unit during the period.


US Missile Defence Agency

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many UK personnel are attached to the US Missile Defence Agency; [86666]

(2) how many US personnel are attached to the UK Missile Defence Centre. [86667]

Des Browne: The US and UK have been exchanging personnel under the terms of the Strategic Defence Initiative Memoranda of Understanding since the 1980’s. Four US personnel are currently seconded to the UK, two in the Missile Defence Centre, and two in Missile Defence Centre sponsored posts in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Four Ministry of Defence personnel are currently seconded to the US Missile Defence Agency.

Constitutional Affairs

Advertising Campaign

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87069]

Ms Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs was created on 12 June 2003. My Department has conducted two advertising campaigns from then to 30 June 2004:

    a regional poster campaign on buses to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy

    a week-long campaign of radio and press adverts to target court fine defaulters (under the title Operation Payback).

Project (a) Date (b) Cost (£)

Magistrate recruitment

November 2003 to June 2004

444,000

Operation Payback

March 2004

230,000


Benefit Claims (Appeals)

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many successful appeals against decisions to grant (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance as a result of (i) mistakes in interpreting medical evidence and (ii) unusable medical assessment forms there were in the last period for which figures are available. [87248]

Bridget Prentice: The information you have asked for is not available in the format requested as data is recorded by outcome rather than the grounds for the tribunal’s decision.

The following table gives details of the total number of disability living allowance and attendance allowance appeals received, the number cleared at a hearing and those appeals that were decided in the appellant’s favour.


25 July 2006 : Column 1546W
AA and DLA appeals, April 2005 to March 2006: Total received, cleared and cleared in favour of appellant
Benefit Received Cleared at hearing Cleared in favour

AA

7,220

5,605

2,300

DLA

82,330

71,125

35,495

Notes:
1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five and may not sum due to founding
3. ‘Cleared in favour’ is an abbreviation of ‘Cleared in favour of the appellant’
Source:
100 per cent. download from the Generic Appeals Processing System (17-07-2006)

Community Justice Centre (North Liverpool)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of defendants attending the Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool since May 2005 have (a) re-offended and (b) complied with their sentence. [88501]

Ms Harman: At this stage it is too early to give statistics on re-offending and compliance with sentences. The standard measure for re-offending rates is measured over two years from the date of sentence.

However, the Community Justice Centre is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation which is due to report in January 2007. This evaluation will provide an early anecdotal position on both re-offending and sentence compliance which will be compared to the same measures at a comparator court. This includes offenders being asked in telephone survey interviews and in the in-depth face to face interviews about any changes in their offending behaviour and their compliance with sentencing.

Crown Court Convictions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the reasons why the percentage of convictions in Crown courts which were successfully appealed against between 2000 and 2005 has increased. [88497]

Ms Harman: My Department has not made any assessment of this.

Family Court Sentences

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many people were sentenced to a term in prison by the family courts in each of the last five years, broken down by sex; [88035]

(2) how many people were remanded in custody by the family courts in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) sex and (b) reason. [88036]

Ms Harman: Information on how many people have been sentenced to a term in prison by the family courts in each of the last five years is not recorded.


25 July 2006 : Column 1547W

The following table shows the number of people remanded into custody upon breach of an order made under the Family Law Act 1996. The table also shows the number of people remanded on bail or for medical reports. It is not possible to break them down by gender nor reason.

Financial year Bail Custody Medical reports Total

2001-02

158

352

9

519

2002-03

203

504

16

723

2003-04

217

616

8

841

2004-05

225

565

10

800

2005-06

253

576

2

831


The above figures relate to the county courts and High Court only. Figures for family proceedings courts are not held centrally and could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Freedom of Information Act

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the reasons for the differing levels of compliance with the 20-day deadline under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by central Government Departments during the last three months of 2005. [88292]

Ms Harman: Divergence is due to the number of information requests that Departments receive particularly where they relate to complex policy issues. Departments are allowed to extend the deadline to consider the public interest and it is appropriate that they take the time necessary to reach the correct decision. That is to protect information that is legitimately exempt and to ensure the release of information where the balance of the public interest lies in its disclosure.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1732W, on Freedom of Information, how many complaints (a) are outstanding and (b) have been outstanding for more than (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) over six months. [88293]

Ms Harman: The information requested has been provided by the Information Commissioner.

    (a) On 30 June 2006 1,204 FOI complaints were outstanding.

    (b) The Information Commissioner’s Office measures processing times in terms of calendar dates rather than months.

    (i) Of the 1,204 complaints outstanding on 30 June 2006 946 had been outstanding for more than 90 days.

    (ii) Of the 1,204 complaints outstanding on 30 June 2006 688 had been outstanding for more than 180 days.

    (iii) The answer to (iii) is the same as the answer to (ii).

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to improve compliance with the 20-day response deadline under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [88295]

Ms Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has established a regime to monitor central
25 July 2006 : Column 1548W
government performance under the legislation. Throughout the first year of implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, my Department refined this monitoring regime to ensure that a robust system was in place to collect data.

My Department continues to provide advice and assistance to help Departments improve their performance.

Central Government performance improved significantly during 2005. Across monitored bodies in the first quarter of this year 90 per cent. of requests were answered within the 20-day response deadline.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average cost has been of answering (a) a Freedom of Information request and (b) a request under the Environmental Information Regulations. [88296]

Ms Harman: Over 100,000 public authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). We do not have the average cost of answering FOI or EIR requests across all these authorities.

Immigration Solicitors

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many solicitors in the London borough of Southwark provide publicly-funded immigration work; and how many provided such work in (a) 1996, (b) 2001, (c) 2004 and (d) 2005; [88954]

(2) what assessment she had made of the impact of the change in the number of solicitors in the London Borough of Southwark who provide publicly-funded immigration work on those seeking specialist immigration advice; [88955]

(3) in which (a) (i) London and (ii) Metropolitan borough, (b) county and (c) unitary authority there has been a (A) reduction and (B) increase in the number of solicitors who provide publicly-funded immigration work since (1) 1997 and (2) 2001. [88956]

Vera Baird: The number of solicitors providing publicly-funded immigration work in Southwark for each year was as follows:

Solicitors

Total number of immigration service providers in Southwark including not-for-profit organisations

2000-01

18

21

2003-04

20

25

2004-05

20

25

2006-07

5

10


It is not possible to show earlier figures as before 2000 the Legal Services Commission (LSC) did not have contract arrangements with legal aid service providers.

There has been a significant reduction nationally, as well as in Southwark, in the number of firms of solicitors carrying out publicly funded immigration
25 July 2006 : Column 1549W
advice over the last two years. There are a number of reasons for this including firms withdrawing from the work as a result of a significant reduction in the number of people requiring advice and the LSC terminating contracts because of concerns about the quality and/or cost of the work being carried out. However the LSC remains convinced that there is sufficient provision to meet the demand for services and that the main reason that people are unable to access legal aid is because they do not satisfy the statutory means and merits criteria.

Changes in the number of solicitors providing publicly funded immigration work since 2001 by LSC bid zone is shown in the table below. It is not possible to show earlier figures as before 2000 the LSC did not have contract arrangements with legal aid service providers.


25 July 2006 : Column 1550W

25 July 2006 : Column 1551W

25 July 2006 : Column 1552W
Table 1
Bidzone 2001 2006 Change

Birmingham

21

12

reduction

Coventry

4

3

reduction

Dudley

1

1

no change

Newcastle-under-Lyme

1

0

reduction

Sandwell

2

1

reduction

Stoke Central

1

1

no change

Walsall

4

1

reduction

Wolverhampton

1

2

increase

Brighton and Hove

1

1

no change

Canterbury

1

0

reduction

Crawley

1

0

reduction

Dover

1

1

no change

Eastbourne

1

0

reduction

Gravesham

1

0

reduction

Hastings

1

0

reduction

Maidstone

0

1

increase

Medway Towns

1

0

reduction

Shepway

1

0

reduction

Thanet

1

0

reduction

Woking

1

0

reduction

Worthing

2

0

reduction

Bath

1

0

reduction

Bournemouth

1

0

reduction

Bristol Central

4

3

reduction

Exeter

4

1

reduction

Gloucester

0

0

no change

Kingswood

2

0

reduction

Plymouth

2

1

reduction

St Austell

1

0

reduction

Swindon

0

0

no change

Bedford

2

1

reduction

Cambridge

2

0

reduction

Colchester

1

0

reduction

Fenland

0

1

increase

Hertsmere

1

1

no change

Ipswich

2

0

reduction

Luton

3

2

reduction

North Hertfordshire

0

1

increase

Norwich

2

0

reduction

Peterborough

2

0

reduction

Southend-on-Sea

1

0

reduction

St. Edmundsbury

1

0

reduction

Uttlesford

1

0

reduction

Cardiff

5

4

reduction

Newport

2

2

no change

Swansea City

1

0

reduction

Wrexham

0

1

increase

Bradford

6

3

reduction

Calderdale

1

0

reduction

Doncaster

1

1

no change

Greater Hull

2

0

reduction

Huddersfield District

1

0

reduction

Leeds

5

4

reduction

North East Lincolnshire

2

0

reduction

North Kirklees

4

0

reduction

North Lincolnshire

1

0

reduction

Rotherham

1

1

no change

Sheffield

3

1

reduction

Wakefield District

2

1

reduction

Birkenhead

0

0

no change

City Centre

1

3

increase

Liverpool South Inner

1

0

reduction

Barking and Dagenham

2

3

increase

Barnet

4

2

reduction

Bexley

2

0

reduction

Brent

27

11

reduction

Bromley

2

0

reduction

Camden

21

15

reduction

Croydon

5

3

reduction

Ealing

21

11

reduction

Enfield

2

2

no change

Greenwich

2

0

reduction

Hackney

2

0

reduction

Hammersmith and Fulham

8

5

reduction

Haringey

27

12

reduction

Harrow

11

5

reduction

Havering

1

1

no change

Hillingdon

3

0

reduction

Hounslow

7

3

reduction

Islington

22

7

reduction

Kensington and Chelsea

5

1

reduction

Kingston upon Thames

0

0

no change

Lambeth

14

6

reduction

Lewisham

4

3

reduction

London City

4

1

reduction

Merton

4

1

reduction

Newham

25

11

reduction

Redbridge

7

5

reduction

Richmond upon Thames

2

1

reduction

Southwark

18

5

reduction

Tower Hamlets

13

5

reduction

Waltham Forest

12

2

reduction

Wandsworth

13

6

reduction

Westminster

16

9

reduction

Blackburn with Darwen

2

2

no change

Bolton

1

0

reduction

Burnley

1

1

no change

Bury

1

0

reduction

Manchester Central

3

1

reduction

Manchester North

3

1

reduction

Manchester South

2

2

no change

Oldham

2

0

reduction

Pendle

2

1

reduction

Preston

2

1

reduction

Rochdale

1

1

no change

Rossendale

1

0

reduction

Salford

1

0

reduction

Stockport

0

0

no change

Tameside

0

2

increase

Trafford North

0

0

no change

Gateshead

1

1

no change

Hartlepool

1

0

reduction

Middlesbrough

3

1

reduction

Newcastle

3

3

no change

Redcar and Cleveland

1

1

no change

Stockton

1

0

reduction

Sunderland

1

1

no change

Boston

1

0

reduction

Charnwood

2

0

reduction

Chesterfield

0

0

no change

Derby

3

0

reduction

Leicester

9

3

reduction

Lincoln

1

reduction

Northampton

1

0

reduction

Nottingham

4

3

reduction

South Derbyshire

0

0

no change

South Kesteven

1

0

reduction

Aylesbury Vale

1

1

no change

Chiltern

1

0

reduction

Eastleigh

0

1

increase

Greater Reading

3

1

reduction

Havant

1

0

reduction

Milton Keynes

0

0

no change

Oxford

3

1

reduction

Portsmouth

1

1

no change

Rushmoor

1

1

no change

Slough

3

0

reduction

Southampton

3

4

increase

Wycombe

0

1

increase


Legal Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications there have been for legal aid in housing cases in each London borough in each of the last five years. [87244]

Vera Baird: The number of cases started by providing advice and assistance in the housing category of law is provided in table 1.

The number of applications for a certificate in the housing category of law, which also includes representation in legal proceedings, is included in table 2.

It is likely that some of the matters started in table 1 proceeded to full certificated work and therefore they could also be included in table 2.


25 July 2006 : Column 1553W

25 July 2006 : Column 1554W
Table 1: Legal Help matters started in housing cases
Number of matters started
Greater London Borough 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

503

494

446

392

488

Barnet

333

375

321

375

415

Bexley

45

74

74

90

124

Brent

1,325

1,394

1253

1,151

1513

Bromley

283

308

326

227

403

Camden

2,290

2,249

2,026

1,598

1,719

Croydon

395

462

354

295

393

Ealing

1,523

1,583

1,284

1,405

1,551

Enfield

450

368

323

267

280

Greenwich

625

461

555

667

665

Hackney

2,541

2,722

2,669

2,743

2,632

Hammersmith and Fulham

1189

1,178

1,070

1040

1,101

Haringey

1,877

1,694

1,463

1,457

1,616

Harrow

342

354

386

378

355

Havering

27

53

76

138

250

Hillingdon

243

290

90

41

190

Hounslow

300

196

231

275

446

Islington

1,912

1,583

1,399

1,635

2,045

Kensington and Chelsea

664

753

861

685

807

Kingston upon Thames

62

45

22

13

151

Lambeth

2,257

1,940

1,819

2,084

2,397

Lewisham

521

674

584

527

556

London City

157

148

135

128

185

Merton

0

0

0

42

52

Newham

2,715

2,622

2,239

2,085

2,914

Redbridge

695

310

239

202

181

Richmond upon Thames

111

30

49

2

2

Southwark

1,929

1,795

1,759

1,909

2,083

Sutton

69

55

27

8

95

Tower Hamlets

1,268

1,113

981

1,577

1,455

Waltham Forest

396

290

259

432

483

Wandsworth

1,638

1,550

1,315

1,264

1,340

Westminster

1,974

1,731

1,418

1,547

1,527

Total matters started

30,659

28,894

26,053

26,679

30,414


Table 2: Applications for civil representation in housing matters
Number of matters started
Greater London Borough 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Barking and Dagenham

114

91

90

110

135

Barnet

82

119

97

117

145

Bexley

9

16

25

29

28

Brent

254

206

209

163

211

Bromley

109

86

75

60

49

Camden

753

826

816

644

694

Croydon

120

154

172

155

171

Ealing

310

290

243

290

288

Enfield

98

88

90

97

71

Greenwich

156

159

126

114

108

Hackney

626

609

591

667

648

Hammersmith and Fulham

189

201

211

171

223

Haringey

488

475

460

383

332

Harrow

160

107

126

103

96

Havering

15

18

22

31

35

Hillingdon

78

81

77

69

94

Hounslow

177

193

129

132

182

Islington

811

842

674

675

638

Kensington and Chelsea

207

266

392

306

256

Kingston upon Thames

7

2

5

2

26

Lambeth

850

848

828

787

810

Lewisham

202

226

205

214

255

London City

48

49

53

86

73

Merton

4

3

4

16

Newham

633

644

591

595

468

Redbridge

168

3

69

73

104

Richmond upon Thames

34

9

36

24

1

Southwark

812

908

853

938

980

Sutton

19

16

10

2

3

Tower Hamlets

298

271

179

227

266

Waltham Forest

102

97

163

145

153

Wandsworth

425

392

355

424

398

Westminster

426

445

416

425

469

Total Applications

8,784

8,820

8,388

8,262

8,426


Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her Department’s expenditure was on legal aid for asylum and immigration cases in each year since 1997; and what the (a) budget allocation and (b) expenditure was on administration for such cases in 2005-06. [88712]

Vera Baird: The departmental cash expenditure on legal aid in immigration and asylum cases in England and Wales for each year since 1996-97 was as follows;


25 July 2006 : Column 1555W
£ million

1996-97

(1)29.1

1997-98

(1)38.2

1998-99

(1)53.3

1999-2000

61.4

2000-01

81.1

2001-02

129.4

2002-03

176.2

2003-04

200.5

2004-05

177.2

2005-06

107.3

(1) The cost of civil representation has been estimated for these years.

The figure for 2005-06 includes £5.7 million for administration. Administration expenditure is the proportion of the Commission’s running costs that are directly or indirectly attributed to immigration and asylum. This expenditure was in line with the forecast for the year.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost was of legal aid provision for under 18-year-olds who have sought to challenge antisocial behaviour orders in each year since their introduction. [88713]

Vera Baird: The information requested is not available.

Legal Aid Budget

Mr. Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make it her policy to ensure that overspending in the Legal Aid budget is not financed by reductions in the budget for HM Courts Services. [87482]

Ms Harman: The Department must manage its total spending on legal aid, courts and other services within the limits set by the Treasury. The proposals in the report of Lord Carter, published on 13 July, set a basis for ensuring that in future the cost of the legal aid scheme within the spending of the Department as a whole is better managed and controlled.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87655]

Ms Harman: Since becoming the Minister of State for the Department for Constitutional Affairs in May 2005, my ministerial office has not been decorated. It was an existing office space that I inherited from the previous responsible Minister and was not decorated prior to my arrival. The office was not decorated during the tenure of the previous incumbent which dates back to 2003. To produce any costs for the years preceding this would incur a disproportionate cost as the Department for Constitutional Affairs was only created in June 2003.

Northern Ireland Coroners

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many coroners have been appointed in Northern Ireland in the past two years; and what (a) experience in private practice as a lawyer and (b) other professional experience each of the appointees had. [88905]

Bridget Prentice: There have been three new coroners appointed in Northern Ireland in the past two years.
25 July 2006 : Column 1556W
One of the appointees is a High Court Judge who was appointed to the office of coroner in May 2006 to be the Presiding Judge for the Coroners Service.

Of the two other appointees, one is a solicitor of 19 years standing of which one year was served in private practice and 18 years in public service, and the other is a barrister of 13 years standing of which six years were served in private practice and seven years in public service.

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people applied to become coroners in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years; and what experience as a private lawyer each had. [88906]

Bridget Prentice: I am informed by the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission that 31 applications were received for the post of Coroner which was advertised earlier this year. The applicants’ experience in private practice ranged from none to 31 years.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many parliamentary questions tabled to her Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85200]

Vera Baird: 98 parliamentary questions tabled to my Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006. 13 of these were overdue with (a) three awaiting a reply longer than two weeks and (b) six awaiting a reply longer than three weeks. The remaining four were awaiting a reply for less than two weeks.

The reason for the delay in replying to the overdue questions is that in many cases the information requested was not readily available and in one case the information had been archived. While my ministerial colleagues and I fully understand the importance of meeting deadlines for parliamentary questions, we are also keen to ensure that the answers we give are as accurate as possible.

Rape

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with providing legal advice for rape victims. [84589]

Ms Harman: At present we are piloting the Victims’ Advocate scheme, which offers legal advice to the families of murder and manslaughter victims. Decisions about the future of the Victims’ Advocates scheme will be taken when we have assessed the success of the pilots.


25 July 2006 : Column 1557W

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in her Department in each year since February 2004. [88553]

Bridget Prentice: In 2004, 395 security passes were reported lost and 22 reported stolen by staff within the Department for Constitutional Affairs. In 2005, 170 were reported lost and 24 stolen. In 2006, to date, 148 have been reported lost, and 6 stolen.

When a security pass is reported lost or stolen, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the risk of unauthorised access into any of the Department's buildings.

Sir Alistair Graham

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Official Report, column 1830W, on Sir Alistair Graham, for how many days Sir Alistair Graham claimed as a member of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in each year of his membership; and what his total remuneration was in each such year. [85985]

Vera Baird: The number of days Sir Alistair Graham claimed for as a member of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in each year of his membership, and what his total remuneration was in each such year is a matter for his personal disclosure.

US Department of Justice

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had with representatives of the United States’ Department of Justice in the last 12 months. [86488]

Ms Harman: I have not met with any representative of the United States' Department of Justice. In January 2006 my officials organised an international conference on the codification of criminal procedures. The Deputy Director of the Office of Policy and Legislation in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice attended the conference during the course of which he spoke on an informal basis with my officials. No other meetings between DCA and US Department of Justice officials have taken place in the last 12 months.

Victims' Advocates Scheme

Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what criteria were used in selecting Crown courts for the pilot victims' advocates scheme; and if she will make a statement. [88682]

Ms Harman: The following criteria were used in selecting the courts for the Victims' Advocates pilot: (a) a mix of courts with wide geographical spread, (b) the pilot should cover courts in both urban and rural areas, (c) the courts should have large enough numbers of
25 July 2006 : Column 1558W
murder and manslaughter trials for effective evaluation, (d) the level of local interest and enthusiasm for the scheme and (e) not overburdening courts with pilot schemes and other initiatives. The selection of the pilot courts was made in consultation with the President of the Queen's Bench Division. The President then wrote to the courts concerned asking them to take part in the pilot.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court cases were included in the pilot for the victims' advocates scheme for the bereaved relatives of murder and manslaughter in each of the pilot Crown courts. [88683]

Ms Harman: The pilot scheme applies to cases of murder and manslaughter in the pilot areas charged on or after 24 April 2006. As of mid-July, we are aware of 52 cases eligible for the scheme in the five pilot areas (three for the Birmingham pilot site, five in Cardiff pilot site, 36 in London pilot site, five in Manchester pilot site and three in Winchester pilot site). None of the cases has yet come to trial or resulted in a conviction.

Young Offenders

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average time was for dealing with persistent young offenders from arrest to sentence in each of the last five years. [88662]

Ms Harman: The following table shows the average number of days from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales in each of the last five years. The table also shows the number persistent young offenders in England and Wales in each of the years, as is the convention with the statistic.

Period Days Number of cases

2001

76

25,393

2002

68

26,116

2003

66

26,083

2004

69

26,363

2005

68

27,037


The figures in the table cover cases heard in both magistrates and Crown courts.

The statistic is reported on in a bulletin available on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website each month: http://www.dca.gov.uk/statistics/crjust.htm#part3.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what baseline transfers have been made from the Department of Work and Pensions to other central Government departments to reflect changes in funding responsibilities for Access to Work for their disabled employees since October 2006. [86037]


25 July 2006 : Column 1559W

Mrs. McGuire: No baseline transfers have been made from the DWP to other central Government Departments.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme. [88888]

Mrs. McGuire: The most recent independent assessment the Department for Work and Pensions has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work programme was a study published in September 2002(1). The study involved case studies with participants and employers to assess the difference the programme makes in enabling users to take up and stay in work. The interviews with users and employers were carried out between September and December 2001.

Additionally, between July and October 2005, Access to Work Business Centres sent out 4,000 questionnaires to Access to Work customers, seeking their views on the service they had received. Of the customers who responded, 91 per cent. indicated that they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the overall service they had received from Access to Work.

    (1) Evaluating the Impact of Access to Work: A Case Study Approach, Patricia Thornton and Anne Corden, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, Report number WAE 138, September 2002.

Asbestos

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures will be put in place to monitor and prevent the fly-tipping of textured coatings containing asbestos under the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. [86620]

Mrs. McGuire: The draft Control of Asbestos Regulations set out controls on work with asbestos and do not deal with the illegal disposal of waste materials containing asbestos. Controls on the fly-tipping of waste asbestos is covered under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which makes the illegal disposal of waste an offence. Government have worked with the Environment Agency to set up “Flycapture” the national fly-tipping database which records the numbers of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by local authorities and the Environment Agency. The database was set up in April 2004 and records summary data on fly-tips by waste type, for example asbestos. Government are committed to helping the enforcement authorities tackle this problem and has developed a range of proposals as part of its fly-tipping strategy.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the (a) policy and (b) drafting of Article 3 Paragraph 3 of Directive 2003/18/EC on control of asbestos. [86621]

Mrs. McGuire: This issue is currently with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for drawing up draft Regulations to implement Directive 2003/18/EC. The Regulations will only be submitted to Ministers once the Health and Safety Commission is content with them. HSE's
25 July 2006 : Column 1560W
assessment is that the derogation contained in Article 3, paragraph 3 of Directive 2003/18/EC provided a sufficient basis for implementing clear measures in domestic regulations and guidance. The key point is that the derogation will only apply where the results of a risk assessment clearly show that the proposed lower, single control limit will not be exceeded. HSE also considered important the provision in Article 3(3)(bis) which directs member states to lay down practical guidelines on the derogation.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account he took of Cabinet Office guidelines on the transposition of European legislation in drawing up the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 to implement Directive 2003/18/EC. [86622]

Mrs. McGuire: This issue is currently with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for drawing up draft Regulations to implement Directive 2003/18/EC. The Regulations will only be submitted to Ministers once the Health and Safety Commission is content with them. HSE takes full account of the Cabinet Office guidelines on transposing European Regulations.

Those guidelines recommend that there should be a presumption to copy out the provisions of a Directive except where there is a clear justification for doing otherwise. In the case of the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations, most of the provisions of Directive 2003/18/EC have been copied out. Where this has not been done, it has been for clear and justifiable reasons, such as ensuring a good fit with the way in which health and safety law is framed in Great Britain. This is particularly important in areas where we go beyond the requirements of the Directive, such as licensing.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the omission of the words ‘without deterioration of non-degraded’ from Regulation 3(2)ii of the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, which transposes Article 3 Paragraph 3 of directive 2003/18/EC, on (a) the scope of the directive and (b) worker protection. [86623]

Mrs. McGuire: This issue is currently with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for drawing up draft regulations to implement Directive 2003/18/EC. The regulations will only be submitted to Ministers once the Health and Safety Commission is content with them. HSE's assessment is that the omission of the words “without deterioration of non-degraded” materials from the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations provides greater clarity in the way the directive has been transposed and will in fact contribute to overall increased levels of protection beyond that provided for in the directive for those working with materials containing asbestos.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has sought guidance from the European Commission on the UK's proposed wording of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 to implement directive 2003/18/EC. [86624]


25 July 2006 : Column 1561W

Mrs. McGuire: This issue is currently with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for drawing up draft regulations to implement directive 2003/18/EC. The regulations will only be submitted to Ministers once the Health and Safety Commission is content with them. HSE has not sought guidance as it considers the directive provides a sufficient basis for putting in place clear measures that fully implemented it. Once the regulations are in place, the way in which we have implemented the directive will be considered by the European Commission.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response his Department has made to the correspondence from the European Commission regarding the draft Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 to transpose directive 2003/18/EC. [86625]

Mrs. McGuire: The UK has received three letters from the European Commission regarding the transposition of directive 2003/18/EC. The first, in April, requested information about the measures the UK had taken to implement the Directive. The UK replied in May, explaining that it had not yet been possible to fully implement the directive, but that it had consulted on proposals. In June, a further letter was received notifying the UK that the Commission considered that it had failed to fulfil its obligations to transpose the directive into national law and inviting observations. On 20 June 2006 the UK received a further letter referring to concerns raised by the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association about the way in the Health and Safety Executive proposes implementing Article 3(3) of directive 2003/18/EC. We will reply to both these letters soon.

Benefit Fraud Hotline

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were made to the Benefit Fraud Hotline in each year since 1997; and what proportion of such calls led to (a) investigation and (b) conviction of the individuals named. [73252]

Mr. Plaskitt: The National Benefit Fraud Hotline is very cost effective—last year it cost nearly £1 million to run but identified £21.4 million in recoverable overpayments. Between April 1999 and March 2006, 4,233 people have been convicted as a result of calls made to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.

Information regarding calls made, and the proportion of such calls that led to investigation and conviction is only available from April 2004. Available information regarding the number of calls actually answered from 1997 is in the table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1562W
Calls answered Referrals for investigation as a proportion of calls answered (Percentage) Convictions as a proportion of calls answered (Percentage)

1997-98

188,038

Not recorded

Not recorded

1998-99

170,032

Not recorded

Not recorded

1999-00

162,067

49.05

0.20

2000-01

208,201

48.68

0.23

2001-02

205,999

52.99

0.34

2002-03

159,290

56.51

0.44

2003-04

211,054

53.55

0.29

2004-05

199,004

55.22

0.31

2005-06

211,599

72.47

0.34

Source:
National Benefit Fraud Hotline and Fraud Information by Sector system.

Benefits (Direct Payment)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of fee-paying cash machines on people whose benefits are paid by direct payment. [57017]

Mr. Plaskitt: Direct Payment offers customers more flexibility in how and where they access their money—including making use of the 33,000 free automated teller machines within the LINK network. 96 per cent. of all cash withdrawals from LINK machines are free.

They can also use the 25 or so different bank accounts that are available free of charge over the counter at Post Office branches. There are around 20 million people who could access their bank account free of charge at a Post Office, but only around 10 per cent. (two million) per week actually do so. This is a huge untapped market which could bring vital new income into Post Office branches. DWP will work with Post Office Ltd. and support it in its efforts in increase this market.

The Post Office has confirmed its intention to withdraw from its involvement with third party fee-charging ATM suppliers and has recently announced its plans to install extra free-to-use automated teller machines in its branches.

DWP has undertaken research into customers’ experience of, and satisfaction with, Direct Payment. Cash machine charges were not raised as an issue by customers in this research.

Benefits Processing

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the introduction of new processing systems for (a) income support and (b) jobseeker’s allowance; and if he will make a statement. [86038]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie:

    The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what progress has been made on the introduction of the new processing systems for (a) income support and (b) job seekers allowance. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.


25 July 2006 : Column 1563W

    On the progress of the Benefit Delivery Centre roll out programme, I refer you to my reply to your earlier question, (PQ 76509, published in Hansard on Wednesday 28 June 2006, Col 421-422W).

    I can also confirm that as Benefit Delivery Centres are rolled out staff will to continue to use the existing IT systems.

    I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether employers have the right to reduce the amount of attachment of earnings maintenance payment made by employees instructed to do so by the Child Support Agency. [87412]

Mr. Plaskitt: Where the employee’s net income falls below the protected rate, the employer has the right to reduce the amount on a deduction from earnings order.

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of families in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas who have made claims to the Child Support Agency have received at least one payment in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [85923]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Computing Equipment

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computer hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in his Department in each month since March 2005. [88755]

Mrs. McGuire: It has not been possible to provide all the information in the requested format. The information available is presented in the following table.

Item Volume Purchasing period

USB Flash Drives and Memory Sticks

1,412

March 2005-June 2006(1)

Compact Discs

17,947

March 2005-June 2006

DVD-ROM discs

342

March 2005-June 2006

Laptop computers

430

March 2005-June 2006(2)

External Computer Hard drives

269

March 2005-March 2006(3)

Internal Computer Hard drives

20

March 2005-March 2006(3)

Desktop Computers

381

2March 2005-June 2006(2)

(1) These similar items are counted together
(2) Purchased by DWP or its IT supplier for use by DWP
(3) Information not available April 2006 to date

Correspondence

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Minister of State will reply to the letter of 26 April from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on pension wind-ups. [78040]


25 July 2006 : Column 1564W

James Purnell [holding answer 16 June 2006]: I replied on 30 June, another copy has been sent to the Member's constituency office.

Council Tax Benefit

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) England and (b) Wales receive 100 per cent. council tax benefit. [86849]

Mr. Plaskitt: As at May 2004, the most recent available information, there were 3,186,000 households in England and 222,000 households in Wales that received a full rebate through council tax benefit. These figures equate to 80 per cent. of English and 84 per cent. of Welsh households that are in receipt of council tax benefit.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) minimum and (b) maximum number of pages of the council tax benefit form a person is required to complete to claim the benefit. [87154]

Mr. Plaskitt: Where a person makes a claim for council tax benefit via Jobcentre Plus through the Customer Management System (CMS), or via the pensions service on a pre-populated form alongside pension credit, the minimum requirement is that the person signs the CMS statement or completed form after checking that the information is correct.

In other cases, the minimum is the two-page claim form used in the rapid reclaim process. This process allows those people who have previously been in receipt of council tax benefit and income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance in the last 12 weeks to reclaim benefit under a simplified process where the break in their claim was due to employment and no other circumstances have changed since their last claim.

For a completely new claim for council tax benefit only, the minimum size of the form issued by the department is a three-page form for pensioners who are in receipt of pension credit and have no dependent children or non-dependents living in the household.

We are unable to provide details of the maximum number of pages needed as this would not only depend on the complexities of a person’s circumstances, but also depends on the procedures and forms in place within the 408 local authorities who administer council tax benefit.

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster receive 100 per cent. council tax benefit. [87585]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) people, (b) senior citizens and (c) families are (i) entitled to and (ii) receive council tax benefit in each parliamentary constituency. [88311]


25 July 2006 : Column 1565W

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available. Council tax benefit information is not available broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Criminal Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many criminal offences his Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997. [88465]

Mrs. McGuire: None.

CV Writing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what help is available through his Department to people seeking to return to work to assist them in writing a curriculum vitae. [80755]

Mrs. McGuire: Personal advisers provide information, advice and guidance to help people identify, apply for and secure employment. As part of this, they are able to provide help to people on a range of required jobsearch skills, including developing and producing a curriculum vitae (CV).

Particularly disadvantaged people who need additional help can also be referred to Programme Centres which provide more concentrated, in-depth support on the range of jobsearch skills, including CV preparation.

Departmental Budget

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was unallocated in his Department’s budget in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [89094]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security (DSS), the Employment Service (ES) and parts of the former Department for Education & Employment (DFEE). Therefore it is not possible to provide information prior to 2001-02.

All of the Department’s funding is allocated over the Spending Review period with the exception of a relatively small Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP). The Department follows Treasury Public Spending Guidance in maintaining this contingency fund from which unforeseen demands on resources can be met. Amounts carried forward at the end of one year are added to the DUP amounts set aside for the new year from the planning cycle. The amounts set aside for the DUP at the beginning of each year, the amounts expended during the year and the amounts carried forward to the following year are shown in the following table:


25 July 2006 : Column 1566W
£ million
Unallocated provision at start of year Expended during year Provision carried forward at the end of year

2001-02

56

9

47

2002-03

94

0

94

2003-04

105

103

2

2004-05

100

97

3

2005-06(1)

91

39

52

(1 )The figures for 2005-06 are subject to final audit.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list in date order the (a) (i) Green and (ii) White Papers and (b) written ministerial statements, excluding those on Benefit Fraud Inspectorate reports, which have been produced by his Department since May 1997. [86511]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 19 July 2006]: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. “Green” and “White Papers” are not defined terms. 66 papers were published within the Command Papers series since June 2001. A detailed list has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Written ministerial statements were introduced in October 2002. Since then the Department for Work and Pensions have made a total of 274 excluding Benefit Fraud Inspectorate Reports. A detailed list has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Departmental Staff (Criminal Activity)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of his Department’s employees have been (a) dismissed, (b) suspended and (c) subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity in each year since 1997. [88455]

Mrs. McGuire: The information on the number of Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) employees who have been (a) dismissed and (c) subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity for the period July 2003 to March 2006 is shown in the following table. No information is available for the period before July 2003.

No information is held on (b) the number of DWP employees who have been suspended for criminal activity in each year since 1997.

Number of DWP employees who have been dismissed and subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity
Dismissed Disciplined

July to December 2003

6

13

January to December 2004

6

43

January to December 2005

10

33

January to March 2006

1

3


Departmental Staff (Early Severance)

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in the Department have taken early severance in each of the last 12 months; how many of those have been
25 July 2006 : Column 1567W
re-employed by the Department; and how many of those have been re-employed in the same, or similar roles on (a) open-ended, (b) fixed-term and (c) temporary contacts (i) in England and (ii) at South Cheshire Jobcentre Plus. [88876]

Mrs. McGuire: Information on the number of staff who have taken early release, early severance and early retirement, in each of the last 12 months for which centrally held information is available is in the following table.

The number of staff who have been re-employed on permanent, fixed term and temporary contracts is also in the table but data is not available on the specific roles in which they have been re-employed.

You also asked for the position at South Cheshire Jobcentre Plus. South Cheshire is part of the Cheshire and Warrington District of Jobcentre Plus. Information is not available from centrally held data but information obtained from local records indicate that a total of 26 staff left the District in March and 41 staff in June on early release. Of those who left, nine staff have been re-employed on short term temporary contracts to deal with work prior to centralisation. This approach was considered the most cost effective solution given the short term nature of the staffing requirement and the fact that no additional staff training was required.

Number of staff re-employed in England
Number of staff taking early release in England Permanent contracts Fixed term contracts Temporary contracts

2005

June

169

3

July

199

1

1

1

August

30

1

September

325

1

October

218

November

43

1

1

December

235

3

2006

January

150

2

February

92

1

March

732

3

1

April

218

May

155

1

Total

2566

13

1

7

Notes:
Figures relate to the number of individual staff not full time equivalents
Figures relate to early retirement and early severance

Disability Benefits

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total departmental expenditure on benefits has been for those who are disabled and unable to work since 1997; and how much of the welfare reform budget has been spent on measures connected with this group. [79985]


25 July 2006 : Column 1568W

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 26 June 2006]: The Information is not available. In the case of Department for Work and Pensions benefits which are not paid in relation to a disability, claimants are not required to classify themselves as being disabled or non-disabled.

Disabled Staff

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) staff and (b) new staff employed since April 2005 in (i) his Department and (ii) each of the agencies for which he has responsibility were registered as disabled. [89034]

Mrs. McGuire: The process of registration as a disabled person was removed by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. DWP staff are, however, asked on a voluntary basis to state whether they are disabled.

The following table illustrates (a) the proportion of DWP staff that, according to computerised personnel records, have declared their disability status and stated that they are disabled, and (b) the proportion of new staff since 2005 that have declared on their application forms to the Department that they are disabled. The figures are broken down into the individual agencies and the corporate centre.

Agency Percentage all staff Percentage new staff since April 2005

DWP

5.20

6.79

Jobcentre Plus

6.43

6.33

The Pension Service

2.96

6.80

Child Support Agency

2.71

7.14

Disability and Carers Service

5.55

6.17

Debt Management

2.56

3.70

Corporate Centre

3.04

9.19


Escaped Prisoners (Benefits)

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what checks are in place to ensure that benefits are not paid to escaped prisoners. [79002]

Mr. Plaskitt [holding answer 20 June 2006]: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits are not payable to convicted prisoners in custody or released on temporary licence. When a claim is made for an income-related benefit, checks are made of the claimant’s recent past history as part of the process to establish entitlement.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 28th March 2006, Official Report, column 945W, on replacement pension costs, what estimate he has made of the annual cost over the next 10 years of administering the Financial Assistance Scheme (a) under the existing rules and (b) assuming (i) full and (ii) partial restoration of the pensions of those covered by the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report. [63868]


25 July 2006 : Column 1569W

James Purnell [holding answer 18 April 2006]: The information is as follows:

(a) As the Financial Assistance Scheme has only recently been set up, estimates of the administrative costs over the next 10 years are subject to a degree of uncertainty. Our current estimate is that it will cost around £4.5 million a year up to 2009-10, when we would expect the costs to reduce significantly once the eligibility of all schemes and members has been assessed.

(b) It is difficult to estimate the administration costs of a scheme providing restoration of pensions to all those covered by the parliamentary ombudsman's report. As the scheme might have to mirror the benefit structures for each qualifying pension scheme, it could be significantly more complex than the Financial Assistance Scheme.

For full restoration, we estimate that the one off set up costs might be around £10 million and during the first five years that it might take to assess scheme eligibility and calculate member benefits, the administration costs could be at least £14 million a year. The total costs over the first year or so could therefore be around £20 million.

We cannot provide an estimate for partial restoration as it is unclear what that would involve.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of how many people will qualify for support from the Financial Assistance Scheme at (a) the 80 per cent. rate, (b) the 65 per cent. rate and (c) the 50 per cent. rate. [77996]

James Purnell: We estimate that 25,000 people could qualify for support from the Financial Assistance Scheme at the 80 per cent. rate, 9,000 could qualify at the 65 per cent. rate and 6,000 at the 50 per cent. rate.

Health and Safety (Temperatures)

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what guidance the Health and Safety Executive has issued on the acceptable (a) minimum and (b) maximum temperatures (i) within offices and (ii) on public transport; [89045]

(2) what guidance the Health and Safety Executive has issued on the acceptable minimum and maximum temperatures. [89046]

Mrs. McGuire: I shall answer both of these questions together.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require employers to provide reasonable temperatures in all indoor workplaces, including offices, for their employees. These Regulations are accompanied by an Approved Code of Practice and guidance. HSE recommends a lower temperature of 16 degrees Celsius unless the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius.

There is no minimum or maximum temperature legally required in the workplace. Establishing either is impractical, as thermal comfort is dependent on a range of environmental and personal factors (e.g.
25 July 2006 : Column 1570W
ventilation, humidity, type of work activity being undertaken, clothes worn, and temperature).

Further guidance is available on HSE's website www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal. The website has been designed to provide comprehensive information and a step-by-step approach to help employers and employees manage excessive temperatures in the workplace. There is also HSE guidance for employers entitled “Thermal comfort in the workplace” (HSG 194).

The HSE has issued no specific health and safety guidance on public transport. However, HM Railway Inspectorate, which is now part of the Office of Rail Regulation, does have particular concern that rolling stock and infrastructure failures in deep tunnels can cause more specific health concerns. This is because of the increased temperatures and reduced ventilation that may be encountered by passengers on delayed and overcrowded carriages, especially during summer months. In such cases health and safety law requires employers to put arrangements in place to reduce the risks, but there are infrastructure and technical constraints to improving ventilation on some railways. Railway operators, such as LUL, alert passengers to the risks posed by hot conditions by suggesting that passengers carry a bottle of water and informing passengers of the quickest way of seeking help if taken ill on a train.

In addition, the Department of Health has produced an updated heat-wave plan on 26 May 2006 and new public health information leaflets are available from the Department of Health website: www.dh.gov.uk.

Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs to local authorities in (a) Scotland and (b) Great Britain for administering (i) housing benefit and (ii) council tax benefit were in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [86971]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The Department does not collect management information relating to the cost to local authorities of administering housing benefit under the existing national scheme. The available information on the administration subsidy paid to local authorities is in the following table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1571W

25 July 2006 : Column 1572W
Housing Benefit (HB) Council Tax Benefit (CTB) Administration subsidy; Scotland and Great Britain.
£ million
HB CTB HB/CTB

1999-2000

Scotland

8,644,389

7,861,986

16,506,375

Great Britain

87,553,309

72,031,691

159,585,000

2000-01

Scotland

8,588,591

8,216,713

16,805,304

Great Britain

86,817,329

74,182,671

161,000,000

2001-02

Scotland

8,868,090

8,639,248

17,507,338

Great Britain

89,735,660

76,264,340

166,000,000

2002-03

Scotland

8,999,480

8,956,165

17,955,645

Great Britain

91,529,917

78,470,083

170,000,000

2003-04( 1)

Scotland

18,761,705

17,825,973

36,587,678

Great Britain

189,533,660

158,466,340

348,000,000

2004-05( 2)

Scotland

21,238,664

18,372,505

39,611,169

3,544,030

Great Britain

200,329,846

163,351,154

363,681,000

30,400,000

2005-06( 2)

Scotland

21,992,689

18,946,117

40,938,806

2,895,239

Great Britain

209,609,053

172,171,947

381,781,000

27,000,000

2006-07( 3)

Scotland

57,367,265

Great Britain

554,999,999

(1 )From 2003-04, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) distributed 100 per cent. of HB/CTB administration subsidy. Prior to 2003-04 distribution was shared 50 per cent by DWP, and 50 per cent. between the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive.
(2 )2004-05 and 2005-06 figures include separate identifiable amounts allocated in recognition of the costs to local authorities of administering HB/CTB claims which include pension credit and tax credits.
(3 )From 2006-07 HB/CTB administration subsidy which includes funding for programme protection activities is announced as a single annual figure.

Identity Fraud (Training)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what internal training courses on tackling identity fraud are provided to departmental staff who have access to members of the public's personal information. [86644]

Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Answer I gave the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 2438W.

Incapacity Benefit

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in (a) South East Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) the Eastern region claimed (i) short-term and (ii) long-term incapacity benefit in each of the last five years. [88850]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1573W

25 July 2006 : Column 1574W
Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants each November 2001 to 2005, by geographical area and rate
All IB/SDA IBST(L) IBST(H) IBLT IBCO SDA

South East Cambridgeshire constituency

2005

2,480

140

100

1,100

740

410

2004

2,450

130

110

1,110

680

420

2003

2,390

110

90

1,130

610

450

2002

2,330

110

130

1,080

550

460

2001

2,290

110

120

1,040

500

510

Cambridge city council

2005

3,470

130

120

1,360

1,500

350

2004

3,360

130

120

1,320

1,430

370

2003

3,210

130

110

1,280

1,310

390

2002

3,160

120

150

1,230

1,250

410

2001

3,040

110

130

1,210

1,160

440

East Cambridgeshire district council

2005

1,830

90

80

850

530

280

2004

1,830

90

80

850

510

300

2003

1,780

80

70

870

460

300

2002

1,730

90

100

810

410

310

2001

1,690

80

90

800

370

350

Fenland district council

2005

3,810

160

170

1,940

1,110

430

2004

3,730

160

180

1,880

1,080

430

2003

3,600

140

140

1,870

990

450

2002

3,520

140

190

1,770

960

460

2001

3,390

140

150

1,730

860

510

Huntingdonshire district

2005

3,870

170

190

2,050

970

490

2004

3,910

230

220

1,980

980

500

2003

3,730

190

190

1,960

880

510

2002

3,730

170

240

1,900

880

540

2001

3,670

180

220

1,830

830

600

South Cambridgeshire district council

2005

2,730

140

130

1,230

770

470

2004

2,700

140

110

1,240

710

490

2003

2,620

120

110

1,240

630

510

2002

2,570

120

170

1,140

600

540

2001

2,440

110

120

1,110

510

590

Peterborough city council

2005

6,990

260

250

3,060

2,750

670

2004

7,020

270

280

3,110

2,660

700

2003

6,810

300

270

3,060

2,440

740

2002

6,800

280

360

2,960

2,420

770

2001

6,650

260

300

2,940

2,290

860

East of England GOR

2005

179,300

7,080

7,000

82,880

59,520

22,820

2004

181,060

7,550

7,910

83,180

58,690

23,730

2003

178,230

7,940

7,820

82,120

55,550

24,790

2002

174,590

7,850

9,330

78,860

52,680

25,860

2001

171,170

7,180

7,970

78,060

49,550

28,400

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. IBST(L) = Incapacity Benefit short-term lower-rate
4. IBST(H) = Incapacity Benefit short-term higher-rate
5. IBLT = Incapacity Benefit long-term
6. IBCO = Incapacity Benefit credits-only
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Income Statistics

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of households in the UK had an income of (a) £22,009 or less, (b) £22,010 to £32,744 and (c) £32,745 or more in 2005-06. [83159]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The income information for 2005-06 is not available. Fully processed income data for 2005-06 will not be available until March 2007, following the publication of Households Below Average Income 2005/06.

IT Contracts

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) actual cost was of the upgrade from Windows 2000 to EP in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [88587]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department’s project to upgrade to Windows XP started in August 2004. Rollout commenced in June 2005 with an expected completion date of December 2005 at a planned cost of £12.673 million. The project completed in February 2006 with a final cost of £12.276 million.

Job Outcome Target

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monitoring he has undertaken of the Job Outcome Target; and if he will make a statement. [87540]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 25 July 2006:

    The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what monitoring he has undertaken of the Job Outcome Target. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

    Following a pilot which ran from January 2005 to March 2006 in seven Jobcentre Plus Districts, the Job Outcome Target was introduced nationally in April 2006. Job Outcomes are measured by matching information on employment starts provided by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) with information held on Jobcentre Plus systems.


25 July 2006 : Column 1575W

    As part of the pilot we monitored performance and conducted research into the operation of the target. Two reports have been published and are in the Library ('Evaluation of the Job Outcome Target Pilots: quantitative study: Final Report’ Authors: Frankham et al. Ref No 316 and 'Evaluation of the Job Outcome Target Pilots: Findings from the Qualitative Study’ Authors: Johnson et al. Ref No 302). The national implementation incorporated findings from this research. Further research is underway to examine activity in the pilots one year after implementation and to incorporate best practise on a national basis. We expect findings from this research to be published after February 2007.

    I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs were of services from private sector security companies at Jobcentre Plus in each year from 2001-02; and what the estimated costs are in 2006-07. [86566]

Mr. Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie:

    The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the costs were of services from private sector security companies at Jobcentre Plus in each year from 2001-02; and what the estimated costs are in 2006-07. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

    Security services for Jobcentre Plus are included in the services provided by Land Securities Trillium through its facilities management contract with the Department for Work and Pensions and are not charged separately.

Learning for Adults Programme

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department’s planned spending is on the work-based learning for adults programme for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [80158]

Mr. Jim Murphy: Planned spend on Work Based Learning for Adults (WBLA) is £23 million in 2006-07 and £14 million in 2007-08.

Funding for occupational training and basic skills courses provided outside the new deal programmes ended on 31 March 2006. For 2006-07, £9 million is being provided to cover training for customers who started WBLA courses prior to 31 March 2006, and £14 million is being provided for training allowances for jobseekers voluntarily taking up Learning and Skills Council (LSC) basic skills provision. In 2007-08, £14 million will again be provided for training allowances for customers voluntarily taking up LSC basic skills provision.

Training to address basic skills needs and work focused training continues to be available through the new deal programme. The mandatory new deal programmes contain a formal training element tailored to meet individual needs, and people participating in voluntary new deals can also take up training opportunities and access training through the Learning and Skills Council, or through other local agreements.


25 July 2006 : Column 1576W

Work continues between Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Skills, Jobcentre Plus and the LSC to develop proposals for a new LSC supported Basic Skills programme for Jobcentre Plus customers for introduction in September 2007.

Means Testing

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which benefits are subject to a means test; and which were so subject in (a) January 1997 and (b) July 1997. [87317]

Mr. Plaskitt: The income-related benefits, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit were all introduced prior to 1997 and they remain income-related.

Minimum income guarantee replaced income support for pensioners from 1999 until it was, in turn, replaced by pension credit in October 2003.

Minimum Wage

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will raise the level of carer’s allowance to the amount which would be received by a person working an average week being paid the National Minimum wage; and if he will make a statement; [86350]

(2) what steps he is taking to reduce poverty among carers. [86351]

Mrs. McGuire: Carer’s allowance is an income-maintenance benefit for carers who are not in full-time work and regularly provide substantial care, of at least 35 hours a week, to a severely disabled person receiving attendance allowance or the equivalent rates of the disability living allowance care component. Carers receiving carer’s allowance can have earnings, net of a range of expenses, including the cost of alternative care for either the severely disabled person or a child under 16 years of age while the carer is at work, of up to the national insurance lower earnings limit, currently £84 per week, net of certain expenses. This limit and the weekly rate of carer’s allowance are increased each year to maintain their value. We have no plans to increase carer’s allowance to the level of the national minimum wage.

Special help is available for lower-income carers entitled to carer’s allowance through the carer premium in the income-related benefits and the additional amount for carers in pension credit. In 2002 we increased the carer premium by £10 per week over and above annual increases to reflect movements in the Retail Price Index, and set the rate of the additional amount in pension credit at the same level. Currently, carers can receive up to £26.35 per week more from these benefits than other recipients, More than 181,000 pension credit recipients, 210,000 income support recipients and 3,000 income-based jobseeker’s allowance recipients are receiving this extra help.

Analysis of the Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Incomes datasets indicates
25 July 2006 : Column 1577W
that carers, including those receiving carer’s allowance, are no more likely to be in poverty(1) than the general population.

    (1) Defined as income below 60 per cent. of median household income (before housing costs).

National Insurance Numbers

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes have been made since 5 May 2005 to the requirements for applicants for National Insurance numbers to produce original documents. [82606]

Mr. Plaskitt: Original documents are required in all circumstances. This position has not changed since 5 May 2005.

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what checks are carried out on people applying for National Insurance numbers; and if he will make a statement. [72632]

Mr. Plaskitt: Adults who apply for a National Insurance number (NINO) are subject to a comprehensive range of checks throughout the NINO application process.

The Department then follows a robust process to verify the individual’s identity, including a face-to-face interview designed to build up a picture of the individual’s circumstances; document examination checks to ensure the authenticity of any documentary evidence provided in support of the application; and corroborative checks with third parties (including other Government Departments) to verify information supplied during the interview.

Only when Jobcentre Plus is satisfied as to the individual’s identity will a NINO be allocated.

Occupational Pensions

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what EU regulatory requirements apply to the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision. [88910]

James Purnell: The requirements of EU Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision, which was adopted by the member states on 3 June 2003, apply to the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department plans to send to the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors 2006 Conference. [88911]

James Purnell: The Department for Work and Pensions will be represented at the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors 2006 Conference by senior members of staff from the Pensions Regulator. The Pensions Regulator is a non-departmental public body responsible for the supervision of work-based pension schemes within the UK, and usually represents the UK
25 July 2006 : Column 1578W
at the regular meetings of the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors. The Department works closely with the Pensions Regulator to ensure that the interests of UK pension scheme members are appropriately represented at these meetings.

Pathways to Work

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to encourage the public sector to employ people with mental illnesses, in line with the relevant recommendation by the Work and Pensions Committee in its report on incapacity benefit and Pathways to Work. [82828]

Mrs. McGuire: The Department is host to the Office for Disability Issues, which was launched on 1 December 2005 to take forward the Government’s strategy for improving the life chances of disabled people. One element of this work will be to oversee the effective implementation of the Disability Equality Duty, which requires all public bodies to actively promote equality of disabled people, including people with mental illnesses. The Office for Disability Issues is working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission to support and encourage government departments to commit to meaningful actions that will improve their policies and services and realise the potential of their diverse workforces.

In addition the Disability Rights Commission has produced a series of Codes of Practice, assisting people and organisations to understand their rights and duties under the Disability Discrimination Act. The Codes give practical guidance, including illustrative examples covering a wide range of impairments, on how to prevent discrimination against disabled people. The Codes have been produced following wide-ranging consultation by the Disability Rights Commission to ensure they are appropriate for the users. The Commission has also produced a range of guidance leaflets and other information to help improve awareness and understanding of rights and requirements under the Act.

Pension Credit

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents in (a) South East Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) the Eastern region receive pension credit. [88817]

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.


25 July 2006 : Column 1579W
Individual beneficiaries in South East Cambridgeshire constituency, Cambridgeshire county council and the East of England, February 2006
Individual beneficiaries( 4)

South East Cambridgeshire

4,550

Cambridgeshire

24,030

East of England

274,190

Notes:
1. These figures are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the QMS scan at 17 February 2006. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.
2. The number of individual beneficiaries is rounded to the nearest 10.
3. Parliamentary constituency, Government Office Region and county council are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.
4. The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.
Source:
DWP 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (QMS) Pension Credit scan taken as at 17 February 2006.

Pension Funds (Winding Up)

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total amount of assets was in pension funds that started to wind up before 6 April 2005 with insufficient funds to cover their pension entitlements before annuities were purchased; and if he will make a statement. [89091]

James Purnell: This information is not available.

Pension Schemes

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to encourage the implementation of auto-enrolment pension schemes. [88687]

James Purnell: The Government have published research findings which show the effectiveness of automatic enrolment as a technique for improving levels of pension saving.

In July 2005 the Government published technical guidance for the pensions and financial services industries on how to operate automatic enrolment techniques within the current legal framework governing personal pensions. The Government are at present exploring whether it can develop similar guidance for employers, in order to encourage the use of automatic enrolment into occupational pension schemes.

In its Second Report, the Pensions Commission recommended that all employees should be automatically enrolled into funded pension saving but with the right to opt out, and with a modest compulsory employer contribution. In the White Paper Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system the Government made it clear that it accepted the Pensions Commission’s recommendation. The Government will introduce legislation requiring employers to automatically enrol their employees into either good quality occupational schemes or personal accounts.

Pensioners (Poverty/Council Tax Assistance)

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area have been lifted out of poverty since 1997. [87366]


25 July 2006 : Column 1580W

James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994/95-2004/05", available in the Library. The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey. "Pensioner Poverty" in the context of this question is taken to be the standard measurement, i.e. people over state pension age living in a household with income below 60 per cent. of the Great Britain median.

The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates below a regional level. Therefore, estimates for Houghton and Washington East constituency and Sunderland city council are not available. Since 1996-97, around 50,000 people over state pension age in the North East have been lifted out of poverty after housing costs have been taken into account, or around 10,000 before housing costs have been taken into account. This represents 12 per cent. after housing costs, or 3 per cent. before housing costs.

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area have received the £200 payment to assist with council tax in 2005-06. [87367]

James Purnell: Information that is available is in the table below. It is not possible to provide the percentage of pensioners in the Houghton and Washington East constituency who have received the £200 payment because the information is not available by parliamentary constituency.

Payments made Percentage of people aged 65 or over

Houghton and Washington East constituency

2005-06

9,350

n/a

Sunderland local authority

2005-06

29,800

65.7

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and refer only to the main payment run for the £200 payment to help with Council Tax bills, so they do not include the late payment run figures. The final figures will be available shortly and placed in the Library.
2. Percentage figures have been calculated using mid year population estimates of men and women aged 65 and over, which are not available by Parliamentary Constituency.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate and Office for National Statistics and General Register Office, Scotland (Mid year population estimates).

Pensions

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners who will have an income, through the basic state pension and state second pension, before the addition of means tested benefits, that is higher than the basic state pension level and lower than the savings credit lower threshold in (a) 2010, (b) 2020, (c) 2030, (d) 2040 and (e) 2050 under the proposals in the White Paper Security in Retirement, Towards a New Pensions System. [78003]

James Purnell: The following table gives the information requested under our reforms, where more
25 July 2006 : Column 1581W
people will be getting state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.

Table 1: Pensioners with gross retirement pensions between the level of a full basic state pension and the savings credit threshold under the White Paper reform proposals
Number of pensioners

2010

900,000

2020

1,500,000

2030

1,700,000

2040

1,800,000

2050

1,500,000

Notes:
1. The estimates are subject to wide margins of uncertainty because they rely on very long-term projections of state pension accruals by individual pensioners.
2. Gross retirement pension is defined here as basic state pension plus gross additional pension i.e. that which has accrued from both contracted-in rights and contracted-out equivalent rights.
3. The projections assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the White Paper.
4. The projections are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
Source:
DWP microsimulation modelling and DWP administrative data

Pensions (Cross-Border Activities)

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines for co-operation between supervisors in regulating cross-border pension activity have been agreed with other EU states on a multilateral basis. [88606]

James Purnell: The guidelines for co-operation between supervisors in regulating cross-border pension activity are contained within the "Protocol relating to the collaboration of the relevant competent authorities of the member states of the European Union in particular in the application of the Directive 2003/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 June 2003 on the activities and supervision of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision operating cross-border". The protocol was adopted by the supervisory authorities of all the EU member states on 22 February 2006. For the UK, the relevant authority is the Pensions Regulator, a non-departmental public body responsible for the supervision of work-based pension schemes within the UK.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what authorisation and approval is required if a pension scheme wishes to engage in cross-border activity with other EU member states. [88607]

James Purnell: If a pension scheme wishes to engage in cross-border activity with other EU states, it must first be authorised (a general authorisation to accept contributions from European employers) and then approved (approval with regard to a specific European employer) by the Pensions Regulator. The specific procedure which schemes must follow is detailed in sections 287-289 of the Pensions Act 2004. The
25 July 2006 : Column 1582W
documentation schemes are required to produce in order to be authorised and approved is contained within the Occupational Pension Schemes (Cross-border Activities) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3381). Further guidance on making applications for authorisation and approval to operate cross-border can be obtained via the Pensions Regulator website: www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/trustees/crossBorder/index.aspx

Pensions White Paper

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition he uses of ‘the long term’ on page 110 of the White Paper ‘Security in Retirement, Towards a New Pensions System’. [77994]

James Purnell: Expenditure projections in the White Paper “Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system” assume that the standard Guarantee Credit is uprated by earnings throughout the period to 2050.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the savings that will be realised from the reforms to (a) the state second pension and (b) savings credit under the proposals in the White Paper “Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pensions System” in each year from 2008 to 2050. [78002]

James Purnell: The White Paper “Security in Retirement: Towards a New Pensions System” presents a coherent, interlinked and comprehensive package of reforms. As such it can be misleading to consider the impact of an individual measure in isolation. Each component needs to be considered alongside the other reforms introduced.

Under our reforms, more people will be getting state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.

The White Paper also contains measures to simplify the state second pension, whereby it will gradually become a flat-rate top-up to the basic state pension. Access to the state second pension will be widened, as more workers, carers and parents start to become entitled.

The following tables contain information on the additional costs arising due to the proposed reforms to the state second pension and to the savings credit as set out in the White Paper.

Table 1 shows additional projected state second pension expenditure following reform, compared to previous policy—where it would have become flat-rate by around 2056, credits were available to those caring for children aged under six, and the ability to contract out into DC schemes continues.

The second column shows the extra cost which would be incident if the state second pension did not become flat-rate in accrual by 2030.


25 July 2006 : Column 1583W
Table 1: Cost of state second pension reforms
£ billion, in 2006-07 price terms
Total cost of state second pension reforms Further costs if accelerated flat-rating excluded

2008

0.0

0.0

2009

0.0

0.0

2010

0.0

0.0

2011

0.0

0.0

2012

0.0

0.0

2013

0.0

0.0

2014

0.0

0.0

2015

0.0

0.0

2016

0.0

0.0

2017

0.0

0.0

2018

0.1

0.0

2019

0.1

0.0

2020

0.2

0.0

2021

0.3

0.0

2022

0.4

0.0

2023

0.5

0.0

2024

0.6

0.0

2025

0.7

0.0

2026

0.9

0.0

2027

1.1

0.0

2028

1.3

0.0

2029

1.5

0.0

2030

1.8

0.0

2031

2.1

0.0

2032

2.4

0.0

2033

2.8

0.0

2034

3.2

0.0

2035

3.6

0.0

2036

4.0

0.1

2037

4.3

0.1

2038

4.7

0.1

2039

4.9

0.1

2040

5.2

0.1

2041

5.4

0.1

2042

5.7

0.2

2043

5.9

0.2

2044

6.2

0.2

2045

6.5

0.2

2046

6.8

0.3

2047

7.1

0.3

2048

7.4

0.3

2049

7.7

0.4

2050

8.0

0.4


Table 2 shows the additional cost under the proposed pension credit reforms, compared to the baseline assumption that the guarantee credit is earnings uprated until 2008 (the Government’s previously announced intention), and price uprated thereafter.

The White Paper package means that everyone should have the opportunity to save on the basis of a firm foundation from the state, with confidence that they will see the benefits from their private saving. Earnings-linking the basic state pension, and arresting the spread of the savings credit up the income distribution by uprating the maximum with earnings from 2008 and with prices from 2015, are important elements in that package. The second column shows the extra costs which would be incident if these reforms to the savings credit were excluded.


25 July 2006 : Column 1584W

25 July 2006 : Column 1585W
Table 2: Cost of pension credit reforms
£ billion, in 2006-07 price terms
Total cost of pension credit reforms Further costs if savings credit reforms excluded

2008

0.6

0.1

2009

1.1

0.3

2010

1.6

0.4

2011

2.6

0.6

2012

3.6

0.6

2013

4.6

0.6

2014

5.5

0.6

2015

6.3

0.7

2016

7.1

0.8

2017

7.9

0.9

2018

8.7

0.9

2019

9.5

1.0

2020

10.3

1.0

2021

11.3

1.1

2022

12.2

1.2

2023

13.2

1.3

2024

14.1

1.4

2025

15.0

1.5

2026

16.0

1.6

2027

17.0

1.6

2028

18.0

1.7

2029

19.0

1.8

2030

20.0

1.9

2031

21.3

2.0

2032

22.6

2.1

2033

23.9

2.3

2034

25.2

2.4

2035

26.6

2.5

2036

27.9

2.6

2037

29.3

2.8

2038

30.7

3.0

2039

32.2

3.1

2040

33.8

3.3

2041

36.1

3.4

2042

38.4

3.6

2043

40.9

3.8

2044

43.3

4.0

2045

45.9

4.2

2046

48.5

4.4

2047

51.3

4.6

2048

54.2

4.7

2049

57.1

5.0

2050

60.1

5.3

Notes:
1. Estimates of additional expenditure are consistent with the policy detail set out in the White Paper. Costs are net of all income-related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit).
2. Costs or savings presented are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the Budget report 2006.
3. Table 1, “Cost of state second pension reforms”, includes, in the first column, accelerating the flat-rate of accruals, improving coverage, and the abolition of contracting-out for defined contribution pension schemes. Contracting out rebate effects are excluded. Cost of state second pension are net of all income-related benefits (pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit).
4. The second column of table 1 includes the additional costs which would be incident if the accelerated flat-rating of accruals were excluded.
5. Table 2, “Cost of pension credit reforms” includes, in the first column, uprating the guarantee credit by earnings from 2008, and uprating the savings credit maximum by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015. It excludes changes to pension credit as a consequence of earnings uprating the basic state pension.
6. The second column in table 2, headed “Further costs if savings credit reforms excluded”, includes costs which would be incident in the absence of the direct reforms to savings credit.
7. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts.
8. Figures exclude the effects on expenditure on the state second pension and on pension credit arising from increases in the state pension age as set out in the White Paper.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the data which supports the figures given in figure 9 of the White Paper “Security in retirement, towards a new pensions system” for each year between 2020 and 2050. [78005]

James Purnell: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Post Office Card Account

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultations his Department has undertaken with Postwatch East of England on pilot schemes for the migration of Post Office card account holders to banking facilities in the eastern region; and if he will make a statement. [55264]

Mr. Plaskitt: DWP officials have met Postwatch a number of times in the past to discuss the direct payment of benefits and pensions. Government funding for the Post Office card account will continue until March 2010 as always planned. This was provided for in the Post Office card account contract agreed by DWP and Post Office Limited in March 2002. An abridged version of the contract has been placed in the Library. The details of the contract were not discussed with Postwatch.

My officials met with officials from the national Postwatch organisation on 27 January 2006 and had a constructive discussion about our future strategy for paying benefits and pensions, including our small-scale pilots. A summary report of the pilot findings has now been placed in the Library. My officials have been in regular contact with Postwatch since that meeting, including attending meetings at Postwatch’s Counters Advisory Group.

Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultations took place with (a) Royal Mail, (b) Postwatch and (c) the National
25 July 2006 : Column 1586W
Federation of Sub-Postmasters before the Government announced that the post office card account contract would not be renewed after 2010. [58866]

Mr. Plaskitt: The post office card account contract is a finite contract, which ends in March 2010. There was never any expectation that it would be renewed.

We have been discussing our wider payments strategy with Post Office Ltd. since the summer of 2005. Our aim is to help them retain as much business as possible. The first meeting was instigated by David Mills, the former Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd. The meetings have covered a number of issues, including the DWP pilots which ran from mid-February to mid-March. We continue to have regular meetings with Post Office Ltd. at official level and, where appropriate, Ministers will also meet them. It is important that the Government and Post Office Ltd. work constructively together in the best interests of our joint customers.

DWP officials have met with Postwatch and the National Federation of Sub-postmasters a number of times in the past to discuss the direct payment of benefits and pensions and will continue to meet them in the future. We did not undertake any specific consultation with either about the post office card account contract. The Government will fulfil their contractual obligations and continue to provide funding for the post office card account until March 2010 as always planned.

Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Pensions Service is entitled to withdraw payment of (a) pensions and (b) pension credits by means of the post office card account without the consent of the card account holder. [65883]

Mr. Plaskitt: The post office card account is a Post Office Ltd. banking product and is treated in the same way as other bank and building society accounts.

It is an important principle of social security legislation that the Secretary of State does not require the consent of the person entitled to any benefit to change the way in which that benefit is paid. This helps DWP to deal efficiently with a wide range of circumstances that may arise.

In practice, we respect the customer's wishes and pay their benefit into the account of their choice.

Poverty

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number and proportion of (a) women pensioners and (b) disabled people living on (a) less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median income and (b) less than 60 per cent. of contemporary mean income in each year since 1997. [78007]

Mr. Jim Murphy: These data are from Households Below Average Income (HBAI). The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The estimates are shown Before and After Housing Costs for the years 1996-97 to 2004-05.

The following tables show the numbers and proportions of women pensioners and disabled people,
25 July 2006 : Column 1587W
living in households with incomes below the 60 per cent. threshold of (a) the contemporary median and (b) the contemporary mean.

As requested, both median and mean estimates have been supplied for this PQ. The threshold of 60 per cent. of median household income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income. This is an internationally recognised measure and has been used for many years. The presence of relatively small numbers of individuals with very high incomes results in a skewed distribution and a large difference between the overall GB mean and the GB median.

Table 1: Women pensioners living in households with less than 60 per cent. Contemporary median income—Great Britain
Number BHC (Million) Proportion BHC (Percentage) Number AHC (Million) Proportion AHC (Percentage)

1996-97

1.5

23

1.9

30

1997-98

1.5

24

1.9

29

1998-99

1.6

24

1.8

29

1999-2000

1.5

24

1.8

28

2000-01

1.4

23

1.6

26

2001-02

1.5

24

1.5

24

2002-03

1.5

23

1.4

22

2003-04

1.4

22

1.3

21

2004-05

1.3

20

1.1

17

Notes:
BHC=Before Housing Costs
AHC=After Housing Costs
Source:
Family Resources Survey

Table 2: Women pensioners living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary mean income—Great Britain
Number BHC (Million) Proportion BHC (Percentage) Number AHC (Million) Proportion AHC (Percentage)

1996-97

2.6

40

2.8

44

1997-98

2.6

41

2.7

43

1998-99

2.8

43

2.8

44

1999-2000

2.6

41

2.7

42

2000-01

2.7

42

2.6

41

2001-02

2.7

42

2.7

42

2002-03

2.6

40

2.6

41

2003-04

2.5

38

2.6

39

2004-05

2.4

36

2.3

35

Notes: BHC=Before Housing Costs AHC=After Housing Costs Source: Family Resources Survey


25 July 2006 : Column 1588W
Table 3: Disabled people( 1) living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary median income—Great Britain
Number BHC (Million) Proportion BHC (Percentage) Number AHC (Million) Proportion AHC (Percentage)

1996-97

1.8

21

2.6

30

1997-98

2.2

22

2.9

29

1998-99

2.3

23

3.0

30

1999-2000

2.2

22

2.9

30

2000-01

2.3

22

2.9

28

2001-02

2.3

23

2.8

29

2002-03

2.2

22

2.7

26

2003-04

2.2

21

2.5

25

2004-05

2.1

21

2.4

24

(1)Disabled people is the total of disabled children, disabled working age and disabled pensioners.
Notes:
BHC=Before Housing Costs
AHC=After Housing Costs
Source:
Family Resources Survey

Table 4: Disabled people( 1) living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary mean income—Great Britain
Number BHC Million) Proportion BHC (Percentage) Number AHC (Million) Proportion AHC (Percentage)

1996-97

3.3

37

3.7

41

1997-98

3.8

39

4.1

42

1998-99

4.1

40

4.4

43

1999-2000

3.8

40

4.2

43

2000-01

4.1

40

4.4

43

2001-02

4.0

41

4.1

42

2002-03

4.0

38

4.3

41

2003-04

3.8

37

4.0

40

2004-05

3.8

37

4.0

39

(1) Disabled people is the total of disabled children, disabled working age and disabled pensioners.
Notes:
BHC=Before Housing Costs
AHC=After Housing Costs
Source:
Family Resources Survey

Remploy

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when approval was given for the Chief Operating Officer of Remploy to take on additional or external commitments as (a) a member of the Competition Commission’s Reporting Panel, (b) a member of the Foster Review of further education and (c) a company secretary of Hill Executive Action Ltd.; and who has responsibility for approving such commitments. [80392]

Mrs. McGuire: During 2005 approval was given by Remploy for the Chief Operating Officer to be a member of the Competition Commission’s Reporting Panel and a member of the Foster Review of further education. The Chief Operating Officer’s commitments as Company Secretary of Hill Executive do not have any impact on her role as Chief Operating Officer and, as such, do not require approval by Remploy.

Approval for additional or external commitments must be given by either the Chairman or the Chief Executive of Remploy.


25 July 2006 : Column 1589W

Shrewsbury Senior Citizens Forum

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will give a Government grant to help Shrewsbury Senior Citizens Forum run their association. [74332]

James Purnell: Senior citizens’ forums are independent of Government and responsible for financing themselves as such we have no plans to offer a Government grant to Shrewsbury Senior Citizens’ Forum.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster have received the Sure Start maternity grant since 2001. [88383]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following tables.

Sure Start Maternity Grants for South East Yorkshire Social Fund District
Number of awards

2001-02

2,360

2002-03

2,690

2003-04 to 30 April

180


Sure Start Maternity Grants for area covered by Barnsley and Rotherham Jobcentre Plus District
Number of awards

2003-04 from 1 May

2,220

2004-05

2,320

2005-06

2,250


Sure Start Maternity Grants for area covered by Barnsley and Rotherham Jobcentre Plus District and Sheffield Jobcentre Plus District
Number of awards

2004-05

4,930

2005-06

4,780

2006-07 to 30 June

1,200


Sure Start Maternity Grants for area covered by the interim Doncaster District
Number of awards

2003-04 1 to 31 May

130



25 July 2006 : Column 1590W
Sure Start Maternity Grants for area covered by Doncaster Jobcentre Plus District
Number of awards

2003-04 from 1 June

1,550

2004-05

1,760

2005-06

1,770

2006-07 to 30 June

450

Notes:
1. Data are only available by Jobcentre Plus District, and, before Jobcentre Plus Districts were used for the administration of the social fund, by social fund district.
2. Barnsley and Doncaster both used to be part of South East Yorkshire Social Fund District. In May 2003, Barnsley became part of the new Barnsley and Rotherham Jobcentre Plus District and Doncaster became part of the interim Doncaster District. In June 2003, the Doncaster Jobcentre Plus District was formed by removing the Isle of Axholme from the interim Doncaster District. Although Barnsley and Rotherham Jobcentre Plus District and Doncaster Jobcentre Plus District merged on 1 April 2005, they continued as separate districts for Social Fund purposes.
3. In April 2006, Barnsley and Rotherham Jobcentre Plus District was merged with Sheffield Jobcentre Plus District to form Yorkshire and Humberside Social Fund, S. Yorkshire District. The third table allows comparison between data for 2006-07 and earlier years.
4. Different tables thus refer to different areas and so data in one table are not comparable with data in another.
5. Figures are for all awards, irrespective of whether the award was made to the mother or her partner.
6. Some women will have received more than one Sure Start Maternity Grant since 2001-02.
7. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Unemployment

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland city council area were unemployed in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of change in the total amount paid in benefits due to the change in employment levels over the period. [87370]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the number of people in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance in the Houghton and Washington East constituency and Sunderland city council area is in the table, together with the proportion of the working-age population for the local authority; no proportion of population is available for constituencies.

JSA claimants in Houghton and Washington East parliamentary constituency and Sunderland local authority area: June 1997 to June 2006
As at June each year Houghton and Washington East PC Sunderland LA claimants Sunderland LA percentage population

1997

2,603

10,777

6.1

1998

2,254

9,488

5.4

1999

2,475

9,532

5.5

2000

2,180

8,695

5.0

2001

2,056

7,611

4.4

2002

1,823

6,891

4.0

2003

1,667

6,250

3.5

2004

1,300

5,128

2.9

2005

1,256

5,278

3.0

2006

1,474

6,048

3.4

Notes:
1. Jobseeker’s Allowance figures are un-rounded and percentages rounded to one decimal place.
2. Jobseeker’s Allowance figures are not seasonally adjusted.
Source:
Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases). ONS Mid-year population estimates.

25 July 2006 : Column 1591W

The change in expenditure for jobseeker’s allowance in Great Britain between 1996-97 and 2005-06 is in the following table.

Jobseeker’s allowance expenditure in Great Britain (real terms 2006-07 prices )
£ million
1996-97 (out-turn) 2005-06 (estimated outturn)

Jobseeker’s Allowance (contributory)

421

500

Jobseeker’s Allowance (income based)

2,320

1,844


Veterans (Incapacity Benefit)

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of veterans on incapacity benefit due to (a) mental health conditions and (b) physical conditions. [86996]

Mrs. McGuire: The information is not available. No record is kept on the incapacity benefit system of a claimant's employer or former employer.

Volunteers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the Government will change the benefits rules to allow volunteers on benefits to be paid the cost of lunch. [85432]

Mr. Plaskitt: When considering entitlement to means-tested benefits all income should be taken into account. To not do so would set an inappropriate precedent and represent unequal treatment within the income rules. If an organisation provides a lunch to a volunteer, benefit entitlement is not affected. However, we are aware of and listening to the concerns that have been raised. The Department is looking at this issue as part of a wider examination of the way the benefit system works.

Warm Front

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of the warm front scheme; and whether the Department passes information to the warm front team regarding individuals' benefit entitlements. [89048]

James Purnell: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to working with others to reduce fuel poverty, particularly among vulnerable groups such as pensioners. This includes working with other Government Departments, for example Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and with the Warm Front scheme manager.

Since June 2005, The Pension Service has been co-operating with the Eaga partnership, the largest administrator of energy efficiency schemes in the UK and the provider of the Warm Front Scheme, on behalf of DEFRA.


25 July 2006 : Column 1592W

Pensioners who contact Eaga for help under the Warm Front Scheme but who are not receiving a benefit that would enable them to qualify for help, for example pension credit, are offered a comprehensive benefit entitlement check.

Where Eaga identifies potential entitlement to pension credit, the pensioner's details are passed, with the pensioner's consent, to The Pension Service. The pensioner is then contacted by The Pension Service and where entitlement to pension credit is confirmed, benefit is put into payment. The Pension Service informs Eaga of this and Eaga are able to implement the help available under the Warm Front Scheme.

As well as contributing in a practical way to the attack on fuel poverty in pensioner households and simplifying matters for pensioners, the partnership between The Pension Service and Eaga supports the development of options for delivering more integrated, flexible and efficient services to pensioners.

The initiative is well in accord with DWP's Link-Age programme which exists to improve access for older people to information about the services available and the help provided.

Way Forward Programme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the timetable is for the roll out of the Way Forward programme in delivery of benefits to cancer patients. [86716]

Mrs. McGuire: The Government believe that good benefit advice should be available to everyone whatever their disability to enable them to make informed decisions about possible entitlement to benefit. The Department goes to great lengths to ensure that people are aware of the benefits that are available and how to claim them. While we have no plans to roll out a programme of benefit delivery specifically for cancer patients, we and the Department of Health are working closely with organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the way benefit advice is delivered to all patients.

Welfare Reform Bill

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what new obligations the Welfare Reform Bill will place on local authorities; and whether they will be compensated under the Department for Communities and Local Government's New Burdens principle. [86842]

Mr. Plaskitt: The overall reform strategy for housing benefit continues to focus on streamlining policy rules and working with local authorities to improve local authority administration of housing and council tax benefit. We do not believe that the measures included in the Welfare Reform Bill present any significant additional obligations or burdens on local authorities.


25 July 2006 : Column 1593W

Winter Fuel Allowance

Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have received the winter allowance for pensioners in each year since it was introduced. [87368]

James Purnell: Information that is available in is the following tables. Information relating to the 1997-99 winters is not available.

It is not possible to provide the percentage of pensioners in the Houghton and Washington East constituency who have received the Winter Fuel Payment because the information is not available by parliamentary constituency.

Houghton and Washington East constituency
Number of payments made

1999-2000

14,270

2000-01

16,130

2001-02

16,230

2002-03

16,430

2003-04

16,640

2004-05

16,310

2005-06

16,310


Sunderland local authority
Number of payments made Percentage of people 60 years or over

1999-2000

49,000

83.9

2000-01

54,580

91.8

2001-02

54,500

93.7

2002-03

54,600

94.2

2003-04

54,810

93.2

2004-05

53,340

90.2

2005-06

53,330

90.2

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Population figures are mid year estimates of people aged 60 plus and are not available by Parliamentary Constituency.
3. Figures for 2005-2006 refer only the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. The final figures will be available shortly and placed in the Library.

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners claimed winter fuel allowance in each London borough in the last 12 months. [87502]

James Purnell: The number of people aged 60 or over who received a winter fuel payment in each London borough for winter 2005-06 is provided as follows:


25 July 2006 : Column 1594W
London GOR Number of individuals receiving a winter fuel payment in winter 2005-06

Inner London—West

Camden

25,610

City of London

1,110

Hammersmith and Fulham

19,560

Kensington and Chelsea

19,130

Wandsworth

33,760

Westminster

25,910

Inner London—East

Hackney

21,260

Haringey

26,820

Islington

21,910

Lambeth

29,190

Lewisham

32,590

Newham

25,140

Southwark

27,850

Tower Hamlets

20,590

Outer London—East and North East

Barking and Dagenham

24,840

Bexley

43,890

Enfield

45,650

Greenwich

31,750

Havering

49,030

Redbridge

39,590

Waltham Forest

31,120

Outer London—South

Bromley

62,170

Croydon

53,180

Kingston upon Thames

23,720

Merton

27,790

Sutton

32,520

Outer London—West and North West

Barnet

53,450

Brent

36,900

Ealing

42,120

Harrow

37,680

Hillingdon

41,690

Hounslow

31,200

Richmond upon Thames

29,420

Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Local Authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
3. These figures refer only to the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. Final figures will be available shortly and placed in the Library.
Source:
Information Directorate, 100 per cent. Sample.

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of extending the Winter Fuel Payment Scheme to disabled people under 60 years. [87678]

James Purnell: The estimated annual cost of extending the winter fuel payment to disabled people aged below 60 years who are in receipt of either the middle or higher rate care component or the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance is £280 million for 2005-06.


25 July 2006 : Column 1595W

Worklessness

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultations he has undertaken to address worklessness in Liverpool, Riverside; and if he will make a statement. [86290]

Mr. Jim Murphy [holding answer 18 July 2006]: Tackling the problems created by worklessness is central to meeting our aim of increasing prosperity and reducing poverty and social exclusion. We have recently written to 45 local authorities, including Liverpool, to request expressions of interest (EOI) for our Cities Strategy which will bring public, private and voluntary sectors together into a concerted local programme to improve the way support for jobless people is co-ordinated and delivered. We are now considering all the EOIs and will be announcing successful pathfinder areas shortly.

In Liverpool, Riverside, we are working with the local authority, as well as the voluntary, community and private sectors to deliver initiatives to tackle worklessness. These include ‘Step Closer 2 Work’ which is a programme to help those in receipt of incapacity benefits move closer to the labour market and the ‘Diversity and Social Inclusion Project’ which aims to reduce worklessness by the provision of training and work experience. I was able to see some of the excellent work being done to tackle worklessness when I visited Liverpool Riverside last month. This included meeting the team running ‘Streets Ahead’ which is a city wide initiative delivered by a number of partner agencies, aimed at helping disadvantaged people into work.

In Liverpool, we undertook consultations with key partners around the introduction of our Pathways to Work programme, which has already shown significant success in getting people off incapacity benefits and into employment and was rolled out in Liverpool in April. Private and voluntary sector providers deliver and support a number of different programmes within our Pathways to Work pilots.

In Liverpool, we hold bi-monthly meetings which are attended by a range of partners, including Liverpool city council and Connexions. The meetings focus on addressing the educational, training and employment needs of local workless residents, including those in Liverpool, Riverside.

Communities and Local Government

Academic Research

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department is providing to academic institutions to conduct research, broken down by project. [88399]

Angela E. Smith: Details of research projects commissioned by the DCLG are available from our Research Management Database (RMD) at http:// www.rmd.communities.gov.uk. This includes information about the contractors and the cost of each individual project.


25 July 2006 : Column 1596W

Advertising

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the revision of outdoor advertising planning regulations. [83098]

Yvette Cooper: We published the draft Control of Advertisements Regulations for consultation on 24 July.

Arson

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents of arson there were in each London borough in each of the last five years. [88664]

Angela E. Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 July 2006 (UIN 86836).

Casinos

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what previous connection Professor Stephen Crow of the Casino Advisory Panel has had with the Department in the past. [84485]

Yvette Cooper: Between 1988 and his retirement in 1994, Stephen Crow was the Chief Planning Inspector of the Planning Inspectorate. Prior to his appointment as Chief Planning Inspector he was a field Inspector determining planning appeals and other casework. Since his retirement he has acted as independent chairperson of Examinations in Public into the following:

    Regional Planning Guidance for the South-East (RPG 9)—June 1999

    Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Structure Plan—Jan 2001

    Devon Joint Structure Plan—June 2003

    Cornwall Structure Plan—July 2003

    Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Joint Structure Plan— June 2004

    NW Regional Spatial Strategy amendments— November 2004

In undertaking Structure Plan examinations, the chair reported to the local authority concerned, not the Secretary of State.

He also did research work on Completion Notices for DTLR in 2001.

Civil Servants (Expenses)

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 27 June 2006 , Official Report, column 289W, on civil servants (expenses), how much of the expenditure on temporary overnight accommodation in London by civil servants was incurred on accommodation for civil servants in the Deputy Prime Minister’s private office. [82953]

Angela E. Smith: Information is not collected in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.


25 July 2006 : Column 1597W

Community Land Trusts

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department (a) is conducting and (b) has commissioned into the use of community land trusts. [85875]

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation has funded research on community land trusts:

    It funded a research report published in 2003 by the New Economics Foundation and CDS Co-operatives;

    It part-funded research by Community Finance Solutions of Salford university published by the Countryside Agency in 2005; and

    It also announced on 22 June 2006 that it was providing £120,000 for practical research on pilot community land trusts by Community Finance Solutions.

English Partnerships is also currently developing a pilot community land trust to deliver affordable housing on public sector land at Cashes Green, Stroud.

Conservation Areas

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many designated conservation areas there are in England. [88080]

Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally.

Council Tax

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency’s (a) photography best practice guide and (b) COVO manual mentioned in clause 3.7.11, of Section 2 of the VOA’s Council Tax Manual. [86788]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

The (a) best practice guide and (b) COVU manual mentioned in section 2, part 3.7.11, of the Valuation Office Agency’s Council Tax Manual are internal technical instructions on use of the agency’s digital photography application and how, when and where to store digital photographs on the agency’s central database to ensure overall system performance is not affected. It is not appropriate to place these documents in the Library.

Departmental Contracts

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts her Department and its predecessors have entered into with (a) Infoterra Ltd. and (b) BlueSky International Ltd. since 1997. [88082]

Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and its predecessors has let the following contracts with Infoterra since 1997:

    National Land Use Database Pilots 1 & 2: Creation of Urban and Rural Baseline Datasets;

    National Land Use Database: County Demonstrator; and

    Generalised Land Use Database: Pilot Phase.


25 July 2006 : Column 1598W

DCLG has not let any contracts with Bluesky International Ltd.

Departmental Staff

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 27 June 2006, Official Report, column 290W, on departmental staff, which Government Department will take over the use of the vacated office space at 26 Whitehall once her civil servants are relocated to Eland House. [82956]

Angela E. Smith: Current plans are for the Department for Communities and Local Government to continue using 26 Whitehall as accommodation until the Department’s occupancy agreement with the Cabinet Office comes to an end in March 2008. At present it is planned that staff moved from Eland Road to free accommodation for DCLG ministers and civil servants from 26 Whitehall will backfill the vacated office space.

Empty Dwellings

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanism her Department has initiated for estimating the number of empty dwelling management orders issued by councils and property tribunals. [85712]

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities are required to keep a register of all management orders made by them under the powers in the Housing Act 2004, including any empty dwelling management orders. The information must be made available for public inspection.

All applications from local housing authorities to make interim empty dwelling management orders must be authorised by a Residential Property Tribunal. The Residential Property Tribunal Service will record and publish on its website the decisions that the tribunals take. The Department will monitor this information.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent by her Department to local authorities on empty dwelling management orders and mentioned in her Department's press statement of 13 July issuing guidance on the procedures to be followed when taking control of a private sector home following the death of the owner. [86779]

Yvette Cooper: Copies of the letter dated 6 July from Baroness Andrews to local authority chief executives have been placed in the Library.

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on empty private sector housing. [83823]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 10 July 2006]: There are over half a million empty private sector homes in England. More than half of these remain empty for longer than six months and a significant proportion are
25 July 2006 : Column 1599W
abandoned for years. Empty homes can quickly fall into disrepair and the longer they remain empty the more likely it is that they will become derelict and prohibitively expensive to bring back into use. Empty homes can create significant problems for local authorities, the police and fire services. They blight the homes of neighbouring residents, are vulnerable to squatters, vandals, drug-dealers and arsonists, are bad for the environment and restrict housing opportunities available to people in areas of high housing demand.

Our policy response is to promote effective empty homes strategies by local authorities that emphasise opportunities to work with property owners to find solutions that allow their properties to be brought back into use. We encourage local authorities to offer incentives ranging from advice on selling and letting property to grants and leasing arrangements. We have also introduced a range of fiscal incentive for owners of empty properties through VAT, capital allowances and council tax.

We consider that local authorities must, as a last resort, have access to effective enforcement procedures for long term empty properties where voluntary measures have been declined and owners cannot demonstrate that they intend to bring their properties back into use. Local authorities have access to compulsory purchase procedures to deal with empty homes and may enforce the sale of properties on which they have carried out works. We have recently introduced Empty Dwelling Management Orders as an alternative solution that protects the rights of property owners.

We work closely with the Empty Homes Agency, which is an independent charitable organisation that seeks to find effective solutions to the problems posed by empty homes. The Agency works closely with local authorities and has recently published guidance on setting effective empty homes strategies.

Fire Prevention

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets the Government have set for fire authorities in relation to fire prevention. [88073]

Angela E. Smith: The Government's Public Service Agreement (PSA) contains two targets for the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in England. The first is to reduce the number of accidental fire-related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. averaged over the 11-year period to March 2010 compared with the average recorded in the five-year period to March 1999—with a floor element that no local authority fire brigade will have a fatality rate more than 1.25 times the national average by March 2010. The second target is to reduce by 10 per cent. the number of deliberate fires by 31 March 2010 from the 2001-02 baseline figure.

The FRS is making good progress towards achieving this target. Latest provisional figures show that there were 216 deaths in the 12 months to 30 September 2005, 53 fewer then in the previous 12 months. This represents a fall of 20 per cent. At present five FRAs have more than 1.25 times the number of fatalities in the home than the national average. Deliberate primary
25 July 2006 : Column 1600W
fires have also fallen in the latest 12 months, 67,900 were recorded. This is 28 per cent. below the 2010 PSA target of 94,000.

Fire Service

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 924W, on the Fire Service, what estimate the Government have made of the number of armed forces personnel who have been trained to operate fire services appliances and equipment. [88252]

Angela E. Smith: If the Government agree to the provision of emergency cover, the most readily available units are diverted from armed forces tasks and trained to operate fire service appliances and equipment prior to their deployment. There are no armed forces personnel on permanent standby or permanently trained to provide emergency fire cover.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of no-strike clauses in firefighters’ contracts; and if she will make a statement. [88322]

Angela E. Smith: Contracts of employment are a matter for individual fire and rescue authorities and pay and conditions of uniformed employees in the fire and rescue service are a matter for the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services.

First-time Buyers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what programmes there are to assist first-time buyers in London. [83132]

Yvette Cooper: The HomeBuy scheme has three products available, based on equity sharing, which can help first time buyers to get a first step on the housing ladder. Social HomeBuy enables tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to buy a share in the property in which they live; Open Market HomeBuy enables purchasers to buy a property on the open market with the help of an equity loan; and New Build HomeBuy, which includes the First Time Buyers’ Initiative, will enable purchasers to buy a share in a newly built property with public subsidy or on public sector land.

The First Time Buyers' Initiative is being developed by English Partnerships to deliver up to 15,000 new affordable homes across England by 2010 utilising public land where possible. About 4,500 of these homes will be in London, including up to 1,500 homes provided through the London Wide Initiative on publicly owned brownfield sites.

In addition, eligible social tenants in London may also be helped to buy their rented home at a discount through the right to buy and right to acquire schemes.

We are investing over £415 million in the Homebuy scheme in London through the Housing Corporation's
25 July 2006 : Column 1601W
Affordable Housing Programme in London for 2006-08. This will deliver some 6,000 New Build HomeBuy homes, 740 Social HomeBuy sales and 5,000 Open Market HomeBuy sales.

Housing

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department and its predecessors have given the Planning Inspectorate since May 1997 on residential development on gardens. [86783]

Yvette Cooper: Planning Inspectors make judgments in the context of published policy and guidance. Since 1997, this would have included PPG3 and associated guidance carried forward from the previous administration and subsequent revisions to PPG3 and associated guidance since then.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses have been built in West Lancashire in the last five years. [83646]

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of new build completions reported for West Lancashire since 2001-02 are in the following table.

New build completions

2001-02

274

2002-03

411

2003-04

256

2004-05

422

2005-06

143

Total

1,506


Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is available for temporary to permanent housing initiatives in the 2006 to 2008 National Affordable Housing Programme in West Suffolk. [82717]

Yvette Cooper: At present no funds have been made available in Suffolk for temporary to permanent housing initiatives through the Affordable Housing Programme 2006-08.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DLCG) supports innovative schemes which provide settled housing solutions for households in temporary accommodation. Where these schemes offer value for money but require capital investment DCLG would encourage regional housing boards to support bids for Affordable Housing Programme funding.

Affordable housing schemes in Suffolk have been allocated £23.4 million through the Housing Corporation’s Affordable Housing Programme for 2006-08.

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in West Suffolk have had improvements under the Decent Homes Standard scheme; and what the cost of such improvements has been. [85543]


25 July 2006 : Column 1602W

Yvette Cooper: Both St. Edmundsbury borough council and Forrest Heath district council have transferred all of their housing stock to registered social landlords (RSL’s), in 2002 and 2004 respectively. At the point of transfer Forest Heath (King’s Forrest RSL) reported 30 non-decent homes and St. Edmundsbury (Havering Housing Partnership) reported 2,795.

At April 2005 Kings Forest RSL reported 0 non-decent homes and Havering Housing Partnership reported 11.

As RSLs are independent, largely self-financing, bodies, we do not hold data on the costs of this work.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what restrictions apply to the sale to tenants of housing association homes built as a result of housing association grants. [85675]

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.

The Right to Acquire is a scheme that enables eligible tenants of registered social landlords to buy the home they currently rent. It applies to property built or purchased with public funds, or transferred by a local authority after 1 April 1997. A number of restrictions apply, and we set under part V of the Housing Act 1985 as amended by the Housing Act 2004, the Housing (Right to Acquire) Regulations 1997, or under one of the Housing (Right to Acquire or Enfranchisement) (Designated Rural Areas) Orders 1997.

Exemptions from RTA include:

    properties in areas designated as rural by the Secretary of State. These are generally small rural settlements where the population is 3,000 or fewer and where replacing the social housing sold would not be possible.

    properties where the landlord has insufficient legal interest ie where the property is a house, a lease with a term less than 21 years and for a flat, a lease with a term less than 50 years;

    the landlord is a co-operative housing association;

    properties let in connection with employment;

    properties designed with special features for letting to people with physical disabilities. To gain exemption the property should be one of a group of properties normally let to people with physical disabilities and a social service or special facility is provided close by wholly or partly to assist the tenants;

    properties with special facilities let to tenants who are suffering or have suffered from a mental disorder. As above the property must be one of a group of properties and a social service or special facility must be provided close by wholly or partly to assist the tenants;

    properties which are one of a group of properties which it is the practice of the landlord to keep for occupation by persons who have special needs and require intensive housing assistance and such intensive housing assistance is provided either directly or indirectly by the landlord;

    properties let to persons of pensionable age. Such properties must be one of a group of properties let to the elderly and have special facilities consisting of or including a resident warden, a non-resident warden with a calling facility and a common room close by;

    properties held on Crown tenancies;

    properties where the attributable loan debt is equal to or greater that its current market value;


25 July 2006 : Column 1603W

    properties that are due to be demolished within 24 months of an RSL serving a final demolition notice, and having followed the prescribed notification process as contained in s182 of the Housing Act 2004.

The above list is not exhaustive, applicants should contact their landlord to ascertain whether their property qualifies.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to promote the conversion of space above shops into residential use since 1997. [85691]

Yvette Cooper: We have consistently promoted reuse of empty properties including opportunities to convert unoccupied space above shops. We introduced a specific tax incentive for flats above shops conversions in Budget 2001 and have worked with the British Property Federation and other property industry stakeholders to identify barriers that prevent more unoccupied space above shops from being converted.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant homes there are in each London borough; and if she will make a statement. [85954]

Yvette Cooper: The following vacant dwellings were reported by each London borough as at October 2005:


25 July 2006 : Column 1604W
Borough Total vacant homes

Barking and Dagenham

1,906

Barnet

3,767

Bexley

2,157

Brent

2,762

Bromley

3,741

Camden

2,895

City of London

123

Croydon

4,376

Ealing

2,971

Enfield

4,301

Greenwich

3,295

Hackney

3,626

Hammersmith and Fulham

2,588

Haringey

1,678

Harrow

1,378

Havering

2,636

Hillingdon

2,302

Hounslow

1,865

Islington

1,970

Kensington and Chelsea

2,901

Kingston upon Thames

1,913

Lambeth

3,015

Lewisham

1,590

Merton

2,085

Newham

3,138

Redbridge

2,276

Richmond upon Thames

1,966

Southwark

2,723

Sutton

2,643

Tower Hamlets

2,081

Waltham Forest

1,924

Wandsworth

3,044

Westminster

3,914

London

85,550

Source: Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) returns.

These figures are for all vacant dwellings, including dwellings that have been empty for less than six months, some for less than one month.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings there were in Bournemouth in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [86326]

Yvette Cooper: Bournemouth district council have reported the following number of dwellings:

    April 1997—73,841

    October 2005—80,274

    Source:

    Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return to DCLG

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant homes there are in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster. [86383]

Yvette Cooper: Barnsley district council and Doncaster district council have reported the following vacant dwellings as in October 2005:

    Barnsley—3,616

    Doncaster—5,336

    Source:

    Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return to DCLG

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) her officials have had with the Ministry of Defence on local connection for the purpose of entitlement to social housing. [86450]

Yvette Cooper: There have as yet been no discussions between the Secretary of State and her Ministers and the Ministry of Defence on this issue. However, there are ongoing discussions between the two Departments at official level.

Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there were in each local authority in England in each year since 1997. [87262]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 24 July 2006]: A table showing the number of vacant dwellings as reported by each local authority in England, in each year from 1997 to 2005, has been placed in the Library of the House. The figures presented are for all vacant dwellings, including dwellings that have been empty for less than six months, some for less than one month.


25 July 2006 : Column 1605W

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes have been built on (a) brownfield and (b) greenfield land in (i) Rochford district council area, (ii) Southend-on-Sea borough council and (iii) Rochford and Southend East constituency in each year since 1997. [84250]

Yvette Cooper: Estimates for Rochford district council and Southend-on-Sea borough council are as follows:

Rochford district council
New dwellings
Number Percentage on brownfield Percentage on greenfield

1997

303

39

61

1998

358

37

63

1999

384

59

41

2000

173

57

43

2001

182

57

43

2002

139

63

37

2003

174

52

48

2004

99

45

55


Southend-on-Sea borough council
New dwellings
Number Percentage on brownfield Percentage on greenfield

1997

154

99

1

1998

187

79

21

1999

153

95

5

2000

152

97

3

2001

122

72

28

2002

128

100

0

2003

120

93

7

2004

260

100

0


The numbers of new dwellings estimates are from completions figures supplied by the local authorities. Proportions on brownfield and greenfield land are from the Department’s Land Use Change Statistics. The figures do not include conversions. Information for the constituency, which cuts across local authority boundaries, is not available.

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes there were in (a) Rochford District Council area, (b) Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and (c) Rochford and Southend East constituency in each year since 1997. [84251]

Yvette Cooper: Since 1997 Rochford district council and Southend-on-Sea borough council have reported the following dwellings:


25 July 2006 : Column 1606W
Rochford Southend on Sea

April

1997

31,511

74,481

1998

31,649

74,772

1999

31,963

74,828

2000

32,132

75,115

2001

32,291

75,231

October

2002

33,276

75,513

2003

33,446

75,718

2004

33,508

75,978

2005

33,580

76,529


Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the Housing Act 2004 on the operation of the right to buy; and if she will make a statement. [85692]

Yvette Cooper: The changes made by the Housing Act 2004 to the right to buy scheme were designed to tackle profiteering by tenants and by property developers, and to restore the scheme’s focus on long-term home ownership and the building of stable communities.

In particular, the Act discourages tenants from buying their homes at a discount in the knowledge that they will receive full market value compensation because the properties are scheduled for demolition. It also discourages them from selling on quickly to companies, which thereby acquire properties at discounted prices. The Act benefits tenants by requiring social landlords to provide them with more information about the costs of home ownership, including the costs of maintenance.

It is up to each social landlord to fulfil the requirements of the legislation, in the light of local circumstances.

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how (a) tenants and (b) the public can assess the relative performance of housing associations; and if she will make a statement. [86168]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 20 July 2006]: There are a number of ways in which tenants and the public can gain information on the performance of RSLs. An annual Housing Corporation Assessment (HCA) is published for each RSL with over 250 homes. This gives an overview of performance and a rating in respect of the RSL’s performance in areas of governance, management, financial viability and where relevant, development. The Corporation also publishes performance indicator data for RSLs with over 250 homes and an Operating Costs Index which allows comparison to be made between the costs of similar organisations. Additionally, the Audit Commission which is responsible for the inspection of RSLs publishes a report on the performance of individual RSLs, including the award of a star rating.

RSLs will also have individual arrangements in place for reporting to their own tenants.

Liverpool Regeneration

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding she has made available for regeneration in Liverpool, Riverside since 1997. [86294]


25 July 2006 : Column 1607W

Mr. Woolas: We do not hold the total figures of regeneration spend for the Riverside constituency since 1997. The following table details regeneration funding spent or allocated from which Riverside has benefited. For some budgets, it is not possible to disaggregate to ward and constituency boundaries.

Type of funding Period Area allocated Amount (£ million)

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

2001-02 to 2005-06

Riverside

26.4

2006-07 to 2007-08(1)

Riverside

14

Single Regeneration Budget

2000 to 2007-08

City Centre(2)

(3)25

Housing Market Renewal Initiative Merseyside (Liverpool allocation only)

2003-04

Liverpool

2.7

2004-05

17

2005-06

28

2006-07

26.7

2007-08

29.8

New Deal for Communities (NDC)

2000-01 to 2009-10

Riverside

(4)3 1

Objective 1 Liverpool City Council

2000 to 2006

City Centre

43

Liverpool Neighbourhood Regeneration Programme

2000 to 2006

Riverside

(5)3. 4

Riverside

(6)6. 7

(1) Forecast. (2) Includes part of Riverside. (3) Not fully allocated at present. (4) Estimate. (5) Schemes commissioned. (6) Schemes currently in development.

In addition to the aforementioned funding, considerable amounts of funding have been made available from English Partnerships, the North West Development Agency and other sources. However it is not possible to identify funding which has gone specifically towards regeneration in the Riverside constituency as this information is not held at constituency level. Riverside will also have benefited from projects funded through objective 1 delivered across Merseyside, for example by the Learning and Skills Council, Business Link and Merseyside Special Investment Fund.

Local Government

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of funds in each local government pension scheme is invested in socially responsible investment funds. [88892]


25 July 2006 : Column 1608W

Mr. Woolas: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Individual Local Government Pension Scheme fund authorities in England and Wales can provide specific figures for their funds.

Local Government Reorganisation

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government has made of the merits of cancelling the (a) 2007 and (b) 2008 local elections to facilitate local government reorganisation in two-tier areas. [86787]

Mr. Woolas: We have already confirmed that we expect and intend the 2007 and 2008 elections to go ahead. The details of our approach to restructuring will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper which will be published shortly after the summer recess.

Ordnance Survey

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what maximum or highest resolution of aerial photography Ordnance Survey holds for parts of England. [87347]

Angela E. Smith: The highest resolution aerial imagery held by Ordnance Survey is for those urban areas of England mapped at 1:1250 scale and is at 15cm resolution.

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made with Ordnance Survey's Digital National Framework; and if she will make a statement. [88084]

Angela E. Smith: The Digital National Framework (DNF) is an industry standard for integrating and sharing business and geographic information from multiple sources. It is supported by Ordnance Survey and a number of other organisations. DNF is directed and overseen by an Expert Group which has over 40 members from the public and private sectors and academia. The Group has produced a “road map” to achieve its aims and is actively working on most elements of this. All progress is reported on the DNF website at www.dnf.org. The majority of recent effort has been directed at creating a framework for unique identifiers.

Planning

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether Planning Gain Supplement will be levied on developments by (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations; [88392]

(2) whether Planning Gain Supplement will be levied on home extensions; [88394]

(3) if the Government will take into account Planning Gain Supplement revenues in the calculations for the distribution of (a) local and (b) regional grant allocations. [88398]


25 July 2006 : Column 1609W

John Healey: The Government consulted on their proposals for Planning-gain Supplement (PGS), including on scope, in their consultation paper published alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report. As set out in the paper, the Government propose that home improvements should be excluded from PGS. In Budget 2006, the Government stated that PGS revenues would be separate from the local government funding settlement to serve as an incentive to support growth. Further announcements will be made by the end of the year.

Planning Applications

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons parish and town councils are required to conduct all their deliberations on planning applications in public; and if she will make a statement. [83259]

Yvette Cooper: Unless the matter is confidential, parish and town councils are required to conduct their deliberations on planning applications in public in the interests of transparency and accountability.

Planning System

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with Kate Barker on further changes to the planning system. [84158]

Yvette Cooper: My right hon. Friend had an introductory meeting with Kate Barker last month to discuss the review of land use planning that Kate Barker is currently conducting on behalf of the Government. I have also met Kate Barker on several occasions over the past eight months to discuss progress on her review.

Kate Barker has now published her Interim Report, which the Government have welcomed. We look forward to seeing her recommendations later in the year on the further changes we need to make to build on the recent reform of the planning system.

Planning Policy Guidance Note 3

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the 2000 edition of Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG) applies in Wales; and whether draft PPG3 is intended to apply in Wales. [87023]

Yvette Cooper: The planning system in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly, which has its own planning policy framework governed by an overarching document—Planning Policy Wales (PPW), which was first published in March 2002. This is supported by a range of technical advice notes, similar to our guidance and statements.

Planning Guidance on Housing in Wales has recently been updated through the issuing of a Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statement (June 2006) and the publication of TANs 1 (Joint Housing Land Availability Studies) and 2 (Planning and Affordable Housing) in June 2006.


25 July 2006 : Column 1610W

English planning guidance and planning policy statements can be used as material considerations in determining Welsh planning applications and appeals, where the Welsh policy framework does not cover the particular points in question.

Right to Buy

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been purchased under the right to buy scheme in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997, expressed (i) in absolute terms, (ii) per 1,000 population and (iii) per 1,000 households; and if she will make a statement. [84967]

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of right-to-buy sales in rural and urban local authorities are tabulated as follows. The number of right-to-buy sales is expressed in absolute terms and as the number of sales per 1,000 people and 1,000 households. Data for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The number of right-to-buy sales is as reported by local authorities and no adjustment is made for missing data.

Total Per 1,000 population Per 1,000 households

Right-to-buy sales in rural local authorities

1998-99

10,469

0.59

1.4

1999-2000

13,737

0.77

1.9

2000-01

12,474

0.70

1.7

2001-02

11,991

0.67

1.6

2002-03

14,288

0.79

1.9

2003-04

13,681

0.75

1.8

2004-05

9,121

0.50

1.2

Right-to-buy sales in urban local authorities

1998-99

23,951

0.77

1.9

1999-2000

28,930

0.93

2.3

2000-01

36,422

1.17

2.8

2001-02

36,793

1.17

2.8

2002-03

45,610

1.44

3.5

2003-04

53,825

1.70

4.1

2004-05

39,068

1.23

2.9

Source: Quarterly returns (P1B) from local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government, Office for National Statistics population estimates, DCLG household estimates.

Local authorities have been classified as rural or urban according to definitions given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For further information on the DEFRA classification please see:

    http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right-to-buy completions there were in West Lancashire in each year since 1996-97. [83551]


25 July 2006 : Column 1611W

Yvette Cooper: The number of right-to-buy completions in West Lancashire in each year since 1996-97 can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government’s website at:

    http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pub/383/Table648Excel545Kb_idl1156383.xls

Search Fees

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amendments the Government have made to (a) regulations and (b) legislation relating to local authority search fees since 1997. [70609]

Yvette Cooper: The following amendments have been made to regulations and legislation relating to local authority fees for local land charge services since 1997.

(a) Regulations

Statutory Instrument 1998 No. 1190 - The Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules 1998

    These rules specified the fees payable for local land charge services with effect from 1 June 1998.

Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 2502 - The Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules 2003.

    These rules specified the fees payable for local land charge services with effect from 3 November 2003.

Statutory Instrument 2004 No. 3044 - The National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Function) Order 2004.

    This Order transfers the Lord Chancellor's power, with the consent of the Treasury, for setting fees for local land charge services in Wales to the National Assembly for Wales.

(b) Primary Legislation

The Constitutional Reform Act 2005, schedule 4, paragraphs 82 to 85.

    This Act amends the Local Land Charges Act 1975. The amendments provide for the transfer to registering authorities in England, of the Lord Chancellor's power, with the consent of the Treasury, for setting fees for local land charge services, other than fees for personal searches, in England.

    These amendments were brought into force by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2006, (SI 2006 No. 1014) on 3 April 2006. The effect of the commencement order was modified by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (Supplementary Provisions) Order 2006, (SI 2006 No. 1693). This Order provides that from 3 April 2006 until 31 March 2007 the fees specified by registering authorities in England under section 13A Local Land Charges Act 1975 shall be those that were applicable immediately prior to 3 April 2006.

    No amendments have been made to regulations relating to fees for other local authority search services since 1997.

    The Office of Fair Trading made a number of recommendations to improve the operation of the property search market which we are working with other government departments to address.

Security Passes

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 928W, on security passes, how many security passes were issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in each previous year of its existence. [88248]


25 July 2006 : Column 1612W

Angela E. Smith: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. The total number of new and replacement permanent building passes issued for staff, contractors and consultants working in the London HQ buildings for each year since then up to the end of March 2005 is as follows:

Passes

May 2002 to March 2003

1,394

April 2003 to March 2004

1,593

April 2004 to March 2005

1,375


Thames Gateway

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what publicly owned land in Kent has to be released to facilitate the implementation of the Thames Gateway project; and what the timetable is for that release. [83698]

Yvette Cooper: A number of publicly owned assets are being released for development throughout the Kent part of the Thames Gateway. Government have contributed to the acquisition and reclamation costs for some of these sites from the Thames Gateway expenditure programme. Other sites are already owned by private sector landownwers and developers. All of these sites will play a crucial role in meeting aspirations for new housing and jobs.

The pace at which these sites will come forward for development depends partly on the planning process and partly on the market. In some cases this has already started. For example, the 264 acre ‘Bridge’ development in Dartford is being developed in a joint venture between Dartford council and ProLogis developers. Elsewhere at Rochester Riverside in Medway, DCLG is funding Medway council and the South East of England Development Agency to create a development platform on their land for future release for development—at least some of which is likely to be marketed within the next 12 months. Investment partners are also currently being sought elsewhere in Medway to help bring major reclaimed sites now into development.

All development on public and privately owned sites is subject to the planning process in the normal way. In Kent Thames Gateway this will be informed by the preparation of Local Development Frameworks in Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the socio economic benefits from the release of (a) publicly owned and (b) Government controlled land in Kent to facilitate the Thames Gateway plans; and if she will make a statement. [85298]

Yvette Cooper: The economic and social benefits from the release of public owned land for development will be set out in each individual development brief, area masterplan, sustainability assessment, design code and other local strategies that are part of the planning process and subject to a public consultation process. These economic and social benefits will be considered prior to disposal of these assets, as part of planning
25 July 2006 : Column 1613W
applications and as part of subsequent local planning decisions. In addition, individual organisations also approve their public investment through their relevant appraisal processes, which need to meet HMT ‘Green Book’ appraisal standards.

Water Conservation

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer from the then Minister for the Environment to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 4 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1732-3W, on water conservation resources, when a copy of the sustainability impacts study of additional house building scenarios in England will be placed in the Library. [85446]

Ms Harman: The Department does not hold the information referred to centrally. It is contained on individual case files. Those files pre-dating 2000 are likely to have been destroyed in accordance with the Department’s policy. The costs of locating and retrieving files would be disproportionate.

The administrative court maintains an electronic database of all applications made for judicial review. This may be searched against the name of any party to the proceedings.

Any person may request such information from the administrative court and the request will be considered under the Freedom of Information Act.

Deputy Prime Minister

Anschutz Entertainment Group

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which (a) officials and (b) representatives of Anschutz Entertainment Group and (c) other parties with an interest in the millennium dome site were present at meetings during his trip to the US in July 2005. [84704]

The Deputy Prime Minister [holding answer 12 July 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 4 July 2006, a copy of which is appended to the Memorandum from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to the Standards and Privileges Committee published on 21 July 2006.

Cantxx

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has received official hospitality from Cantxx Ventures Ltd. and Cantxx UK and its associated companies in the last four years. [85271]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Hospitality received by Ministers is declared in the Register of Members’ Interests as is appropriate.

Gifts

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the gifts he has received whilst abroad on Government business. [86030]


25 July 2006 : Column 1614W

The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government publish an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140. Information relating to 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006.

ISO 14001

Chris Huhne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Office (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO14001 standard and (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement. [81582]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Environmental Management Systems in my office are operated to the ISO 14001 standard.

Millennium Dome

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role and responsibilities he has in relation to (a) the millennium dome and (b) the surrounding land. [85771]

The Deputy Prime Minister: None.

Ministerial Travel

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on (a) domestic flights and (b) rail fares for his travel in an official capacity in 2005-06. [85558]

The Deputy Prime Minister: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’ and ‘Travel by Ministers’, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Information relating to 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the hospitality he has received while abroad since 1997. [88221]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Hospitality received by Ministers is declared in the Register of Members’ interests as is appropriate.

Official Visit

Mr. Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the itinerary was for his visit to the United States in July 2005; and what the cost of (a) his and (b) his accompanying officials travel was for each part thereof. [84917]

The Deputy Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 2006]: For details of my itinerary, I refer the hon. Member to the letter I wrote on 4 July 2006, a copy of which is appended to the Memorandum from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to the Standards and Privileges Committee, published on 21 July 2006. Since 1999, the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more
25 July 2006 : Column 1615W
during each financial year and total costs of all ministerial overseas travel. Information relating to 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006.

Post Offices

Joan Walley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his responsibilities are in relation to Government policy on post offices; what recent work he has undertaken in respect of this responsibility; and what meetings he has attended within the past two months relating to post offices. [88625]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Responsibility for policy on post offices rests with the Department for Trade and Industry. I chair the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office Network (MISC33). The terms of reference of the Committee are ‘to consider issues relating to the future of the Post Office network’. I am therefore responsible for ensuring the Government take a coordinated approach to issues relating to the Post Office network. Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Solicitor-General

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Solicitor-General what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the (a) date and (b) cost was of each. [87056]

The Solicitor-General: I am informed that none of my Departments ran advertising campaigns during 2000 and June 2004.

Crown Prosecution Service

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the 2006 performance assessment of the Crown Prosecution Service, South Sector. [83928]

The Solicitor-General: CPS London South Sector was created in October 2003. The first HMCPSI Overall Performance Assessment report on the Sector covered 2004-05 and the Sector was rated ‘Fair’. This assessment reflected a significant improvement on previous performance. Since then the performance of the Sector has continued to improve against key national targets.

Extradition

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Solicitor-General how many representations he has received on the US-UK Extradition Treaty in 2006. [88326]

The Solicitor-General: I have received 124 representations specifically on the UK-US Extradition Treaty and numerous other representations on extradition issues more generally.


25 July 2006 : Column 1616W

Questionnaires

Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by the Law Officers’ Departments or public bodies for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was in each case. [83172]

The Solicitor-General: I am answering on behalf of the all of the Law Officers Departments, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, except the Treasury Solicitor's Department.

The Treasury Solicitor's Department has, since 2002, undertaken an annual client satisfaction survey. Its purpose is to enable better understanding of clients' views about the services provided to them by the Department and to identify ways to improve that service. The cost of these surveys is predominantly the time spent by TSol staff in administering and recording this information and is estimated at 3,000 per annum. Client satisfaction ratings are among the Service Delivery Agreement (SDA) targets agreed with the Attorney General.

International Development

Afghanistan

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources he has committed to support the health infrastructure reconstruction of Afghanistan over the next three years. [88896]

Hilary Benn: DFID does not contribute to Afghanistan’s Health Sector bilaterally, but through funding of the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), which helps fund the Government’s recurrent costs. DFID has channelled £135 million through this since 2002. The ARTF covers much of the Government’s wage bill, including the salaries of doctors and nurses. DFID has recently announced a further three year commitment to the ARTF which will fund the salaries of these key workers. Other donors such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and the European Community take the lead in the health sector. DFID continues to support efforts to improve health services through multilateral funding.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to (a) encourage and facilitate the safe return of and (b) provide support for Afghan health workers who wish to return to Afghanistan. [88897]

Hilary Benn: DFID does not work bilaterally in the health sector. DFID does contribute to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund; one of the activities financed
25 July 2006 : Column 1617W
through this trust fund is the Afghanistan Expatriate Programme which enables the return of qualified Afghans to assist in reconstruction and capacity building.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan authorities on the provision of mental health services. [88898]

Hilary Benn: DFID officials have had no recent discussions with Afghan authorities on the provision of mental health services. The European Commission, 19 per cent. of whose funding is provided by DFID, supports a basic health package which includes the provision of mental health services.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the Afghan authorities in the provision of (a) comprehensive maternal and neonatal services, (b) midwifery and nursing training and (c) training for community health workers. [88899]

Hilary Benn: DFID supports the health sector in Afghanistan through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund rather than bilaterally. The UK also provides 19 per cent. of the European Commission’s €1 billion of development assistance pledged to Afghanistan between 2002-07. A large part of this funding goes towards developing Afghanistan’s health sector, specifically to provide a basic package of health services to all Afghans, including maternal and newborn health; child health and immunisation; and nutrition.

Recruiting, training and deploying health care workers (especially women) are real challenges, especially in rural areas. The absence of female health workers is being addressed by the World Health Organisation, which is running a variety of health courses to boost the number of skilled birth attendants, nurses and midwives.

Aid Programmes

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his oral answer of 10 May 2006, Official Report, column 297, on HIV/AIDS, what safeguards are in place to ensure that aid programmes are not used as a tool for sexual exploitation. [89128]

Mr. Thomas: Following the work of a taskforce led by UNICEF in 2002, a UN code of conduct for protection from sexual abuse was drawn up. This code now forms part of the terms and conditions of employment within the UN and all UN staff members are therefore bound by it. Local organisations contracted by the UN also have to sign up to this code. DFID has incorporated the same code into its own terms and conditions of employment.

Following the recent report by the Save the Children Fund (SCF) on the exploitation of children in Liberia, DFID immediately organised a meeting with senior SCF staff to learn more about the accusations. DFID has subsequently raised these concerns with its operational partners to seek clarification from them on how their past and on-going operations have sought to
25 July 2006 : Column 1618W
prevent or address this problem. Safeguards for the prevention of sexual exploitation are now routinely part of DFID’s appraisal of proposals for humanitarian operations.

DFID has recently published a new humanitarian policy and we are reviewing our funding guidelines and procedures. This will include consideration of how we can continue to best incorporate the UN code of practice.

Criminal Offences

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many criminal offences his Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997. [88470]

Hilary Benn: None.

Developing Countries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps (a) to co-ordinate and (b) to implement an integrated approach across Departments to deal with climate change and poverty reduction in developing countries. [87472]

Hilary Benn: Informal working groups communicate regularly on climate change to ensure that all Departments have an opportunity to contribute to policy-making. Ministerial oversight is provided by the Ministerial Committee on Energy and Environment (EE) which is chaired by the Prime Minister.

The Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has overall responsibility for climate change policy including tackling the causes of climate change, working to find ways to adapt to unavoidable climate change impacts, promoting effective science to inform policy, leading on international climate change negotiations, promoting energy efficiency, reducing emissions from industry and business, developing alternatives to fossil fuels and encouraging the protection and enhancement of carbon sinks. The Cabinet Office contributes to policy development and provides co-ordination mechanisms at senior official level.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contributes foreign policy perspectives and analysis. The FCO's staff overseas maintains regular contact with host governments in order to analyse and report on countries' climate change policies and priorities, and to lobby for UK positions. The Department for Trade and Industry (DTI)'s role is to consider all aspects of climate change that impact on the energy and business sectors. This includes ensuring that that the competitiveness of industry is maintained and that issues affecting security of energy supply, energy prices and competitive energy markets are taken into account. Her Majesty's Treasury is involved across the whole range of business. The Chancellor has initiated a major review of the economics of climate change, headed by Sir Nick Stern.

DFID takes the lead on ensuring effective integration of international development objectives into Her Majesty's Government policy. We have
25 July 2006 : Column 1619W
seconded two people to the Stern Review. We are helping developing countries adapt to unavoidable climate change impacts. We are working with the multilateral development banks to increase public and private investment in energy efficiency and lower carbon technologies. The UK Government's Development White Paper highlights climate change as one of the key challenges facing development, and sets out how the UK Government as a whole intends to address this challenge.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department gives to (a) farmers and (b) fishermen in developing countries to understand and achieve standards demanded by western consumer markets. [88616]

Mr. Thomas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), launched DFID’s agriculture policy in December 2005. This makes a commitment to work in partnership with the food industry to ensure that poor farmers in developing countries can access markets. DFID is working with supermarkets, standard setters and exporters to improve opportunities for farmers in developing countries to participate in international supply chains. We are also supporting work in Africa to support small farmer certification to supermarket standards. For example in Kenya, DFID has supported export horticultural development to the tune of £872,000 over the past three years. Much of these funds are spent assisting smallholders to cope with the process and cost of compliance with supermarket standards.

DFID is also committed to working in partnership with international standard-setting organisations to ensure that new product standards are based on assessments of risk and are not attempts to protect markets. We support developing countries to participate in formal standard-setting procedures. DFID has contributed £950,000 to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) housed in the World Trade Organisation. STDF is a multi-donor funded programme that assists developing countries in improving their expertise and capacity to analyse and implement international sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS).

DFID also supports the work of the European Commission's Directorate General (DG) for Trade. In 2006, the DG for Trade will provide €1.7 million to support developing countries to meet food safety standards and export their products to the European Union (EU). This provides jobs, economic growth and raises standards in developing countries.

DFID recognises the importance of European markets to the fishing sectors of many developing countries and is an active proponent of greater coherence between EU fisheries trade and development policies. We encourage the EU to ensure that there is fair access to EU markets for developing countries and that resources are made available to help these countries develop capacity in standard setting, quality control and certification.

DFID funded research programmes have supported the development of processing technologies for
25 July 2006 : Column 1620W
developing country fishermen. Currently we are funding a regional programme in Southern Africa that is supporting local fishing industries to develop the knowledge, skills and capacity to meet EU market requirements.

More direct support to small-scale fishers, whose marketing needs are arguably greater than other groups within the sector, is also available through a £30 million EU programme of support to developing countries’ fisheries sectors, which the UK supports. DFID also supports the activities of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) which plays an important role in the setting and implementation of policies relating to international standards and trade in fisheries products.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s support to improve teachers’ wages in developing countries. [88618]

Mr. Thomas: The 2006 Education for All Global Monitoring Report states that salaries for teachers remain problematic. It reports that in Latin America, teacher salaries fail to attract the best candidates. However, some countries are trying to improve teachers’ status. In China, salaries have been increased and a National Teachers Education Network established.

The UK’s commitment to provide approximately £8.5 billion of support to education in developing countries over the next 10 years, will provide predictable funding against which poor country governments can prepare ambitious sector plans to achieve the education goals. Our support will help in the development and implementation of 10 year plans, which will increase investment in schools, including recruiting and training more teachers. The status of teachers will be important in improving the quality of education.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has (a) pledged, (b) committed and (c) spent on support for developing countries to plan for natural disasters. [88620]

Mr. Thomas: Much of DFID’s support for disaster risk reduction and support to developing countries to plan for future disasters is integrated into wider development programmes so it is not possible to identify the exact amount allocated to this work.

We are committed to allocating 10 per cent. of the funding provided by DFID in response to each major natural disaster to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters where this can be done effectively. We pledged £7.5 million to the Indian Ocean region following the 2004 tsunami and £5.8 million to Pakistan following the earthquake for disaster risk reduction programmes.

DFID is also providing significant contributions to the disaster risk reduction programmes of our multilateral partners. In 2005, we committed £12.5 million to international non-governmental organisations and £3.5 million to the International
25 July 2006 : Column 1621W
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent for disaster risk reduction work at the community level in Africa and Asia. The UK is the largest contributor of un-earmarked funds to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction at £1 million per year. In 2006, DFID committed over £4 million to the World Bank to help developing country governments incorporate disaster risk into Poverty Reduction Strategies, and £3 million to the ProVention Consortium.

Equal Opportunities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures his Department will take to ensure that policies outlined in the White Paper will (a) deliver equal employment opportunities for women, (b) uphold equal pay and labour standards for women, (c) advance equal property rights for women and (d) endorse women’s equal access to microfinance. [88619]

Hilary Benn: Gender discrimination is not only unjust but is an impediment to sustainable economic development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The policy paper “Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women” sets out the Government’s commitment to supporting gender equality and to ensuring that women are able to play a full role in economic life. In the White Paper, “Eliminating World Poverty: making governance work for the poor”, published earlier this month, the Government re-affirmed its intention to give priority to work in support of gender equality and women’s rights in its development assistance. DFID is currently in the process of developing more detailed plans on how this commitment will be taken forward across the Department’s operations. These plans should be completed by the end of the year; they will include work looking at the linkages between gender equality and economic growth.

Fast Track Initiative

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid for education his Department has provided under the Fast Track Initiative; and what plans he has to increase the amount. [88615]

Mr. Thomas: The UK is supporting the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) as part of our overall approach to accelerate progress towards quality primary education for all children by 2015. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, recently announced an additional UK contribution of £100 million to the FTI Catalytic Fund, bringing our total support to £150 million. Our contribution over the next two years will cover nearly a quarter of the funding gap in the FTI.

In addition, the UK is calling for other donors, especially G8 countries, to increase their support for an expanded FTI. We have urged other G8 countries to increase their support to education within the FTI framework, either directly through the FTI Catalytic Fund or by increasing their support for education in FTI endorsed countries.


25 July 2006 : Column 1622W

FIFA World Cup

Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which matches (a) he and (b) his departmental colleagues attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their Ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contribution from third party organisations. [83598]

Hilary Benn: Neither myself, nor my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development attended any FIFA World Cup 2006 matches in Germany in our Ministerial capacity.

Genetic Use Restriction Technologies

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) if he will commission an assessment of the impact of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies on (a) free access to genetic resources and (b) the food security and livelihoods of small scale farmers in developing countries; [88421]

(2) what assistance he has made available to support and enhance capacity building in developing countries to enable them to make decisions concerning the introduction of GM crops containing Genetic Use Restriction Technologies; [88422]

(3) what criteria will be used to determine that the conditions for the safe and beneficial use of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies in developing countries have been validated; and who will make that decision. [88423]

Mr. Thomas: DFID takes genetic modification in crops and foods and its potential impacts on poor people, including small-scale farmers, in developing countries very seriously. Our approach is based on the principle that the livelihoods and health of poor people and of their environment is of primary concern. We recognise that GM technology in itself will not solve the problem of world hunger. We consider that biotechnology, including gene technology, if managed responsibly and applied to those crops on which the poor rely, has the potential to make a contribution to development and poverty reduction.

The parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) decided in 2000, that there should be a precautionary approach to their use while research into the possible impacts of these technologies was carried out. Parties at the CBD meeting in March this year reaffirmed this decision. Parties were also encouraged to continue to undertake further research on the impacts of GURTs and to share information from these studies and address capacity building for decision making in developing countries. As a party to the CBD, the UK Government will continually study research into the possible impact of GURTs. DFID is willing to consider funding assessments of the impact of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies on small scale farmers.

Recognising that there are both potential benefits and risks associated with gene technologies and GM crops, developing countries should be able to make their own informed choices. To this end, DFID has worked with the Department for the Environment and
25 July 2006 : Column 1623W
Rural Affairs (DEFRA), other HMG Departments and the international community to establish the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, under the CBD. The protocol adopts a strong precautionary approach and aims to ensure that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing to the import of genetically modified organisms. It also facilitates the exchange of information on living modified organisms and assists countries in the implementation of the protocol. This means that importing countries are able to make a decision to avoid or minimise potential adverse effects of GM organisms, even if there is a lack of scientific certainty on the extent of such potential adverse effects. We are working to ensure developing countries have the capacity to make informed decisions on these issues for themselves, for example by providing core support to regional African research bodies which are building capacity in biotechnology safety and regulation in their regions.

It is for each party to the Convention on Biological Diversity to assess whether appropriate scientific data is available in relation to the field testing of products incorporating Genetic Use Restriction Technologies and to take decisions accordingly. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety seeks to provide the means for developing countries to make such decisions.

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research projects the Government have (a) undertaken and (b) funded on appropriate scientific data for the field testing of products incorporating Genetic Use Restriction Technologies. [88424]

Mr. Thomas: The Government have not undertaken or funded any research projects specifically on the scientific data for the field testing of products incorporating Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs).

Middle East (Project Funding)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which infrastructure projects funded by (a) the EU and (b) the UK have been destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza in recent months. [87464]

Hilary Benn: Because of military activity, aid agencies currently face difficulty assessing the extent of damage to facilities in the Gaza Strip. However, initial reports from northern Gaza indicate that four schools and one clinic provided for Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have sustained heavy damage. 57 empty food containers leased by UNRWA have also been damaged at a cost of £31,000. The European Community and EU member states collectively provide more than half of UNRWA’s core funding and two of the damaged schools were specifically financed from European Community funds.

The main entrance bridge to Beit Hanun was partially destroyed by an Israeli air strike on 9 July. The bridge was built in 2004 with £205,000 in funding from the European Community.


25 July 2006 : Column 1624W

Ministerial Meetings

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he last met the Scottish First Minister; and what subjects were discussed. [88748]

Hilary Benn: I last met with the Scottish First Minister on the 23 June in Edinburgh. We discussed the Scottish Parliament’s Co-Operation Agreement with Malawi and the work DFID is undertaking in the health sector. The discussion also covered the capacity building work the Scottish Parliament is doing with the Malawi Parliament.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years. [87644]

Mr. Thomas: Ministerial offices were redecorated as part of the refurbishment of the building prior to DFID moving in, in 2001. They have not been redecorated since.

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [84005]

Hilary Benn: In the last 12 months I have visited Wales twice and Scotland three times. I have not made any visits to Northern Ireland. I have also made a number of visits to different parts of England.

Palestine

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Temporary International Mechanism in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; what representations he has received on the effectiveness of the mechanism from British aid agencies working in the Occupied Territories; and what concerns they have expressed. [88492]

Hilary Benn: The Temporary International Mechanism, designed to help provide for Palestinians' basic needs, is providing vital assistance to the people of the Gaza Strip at this difficult time. Since 11 July, the mechanism has provided fuel for back-up generators at hospitals, health centres, water supply pumps and sanitation facilities. This has enabled equipment to continue operating during power cuts after Gaza's only power station was damaged in an Israeli attack.

DFID is in regular contact with British aid organisations regarding the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In these discussions, several agencies have expressed concern that the Temporary International Mechanism does not provide support through the Palestinian Authority. Some agencies have also said
25 July 2006 : Column 1625W
that the range of areas covered by the mechanism should be wider than health, utilities and basic social support. The Government's view is that the mechanism has already proved its ability to ensure that basic services continue in very difficult circumstances in Gaza. Further support to ensure the continuation of essential health services throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories is expected to begin shortly. The Government will keep the mechanism, and the best ways for supporting the Palestinian people, under close review.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) which British (a) aid agencies and (b) other British organisations have made representations to his Department on the suspension of British aid to the Palestinian Authority; and which (i) supported and (ii) opposed the suspension of aid; [88493]

(2) what discussions his Department has had with British aid agencies working in Occupied Palestine on the suspension of direct British aid to the Palestinian Authority. [88494]

Hilary Benn: DFID is in regular contact with British aid organisations about the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Since Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January, we have had meetings with representatives of Welfare Association, World Vision, Oxfam, Christian Aid, Interpal, War on Want, Medical Aid for Palestinians and Save the Children.

The agencies attending these meetings all shared the Government’s concern about the humanitarian situation and shared our view that humanitarian support to the Palestinian people should continue. The agencies also expressed concern that direct aid to the Palestinian Authority should not be suspended. We explained the UK Government’s commitment to do all we can to support the Palestinian people. We also explained that DFID could not support a government when that government was committed to violence, terrorism and the destruction of Israel.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85208]

Mr. Thomas: No questions tabled to DFID were still awaiting a reply as of 10 July. As of that date, 3,153 parliamentary questions had been tabled to DFID during the current parliamentary Session.

The Department endeavours to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and also to provide answers to ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled.


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Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in each year since February 2004. [88554]

Mr. Thomas: The number of passes lost and stolen since February 2004 is as follows:

Lost Stolen

February 2004-January 2005

30

0

February 2005-January 2006

50

5

February 2006 to date

25

0


Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85190]

Hilary Benn: None.

Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Sudan

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of whether international donors have met pledges to provide aid in Darfur. [88613]

Hilary Benn: The current UN appeal seeks $801 million (mostly for humanitarian assistance) for Darfur to cover the period up to 31 December 2006. So far, $345 million has been pledged by donors, and the bulk of these pledges have been met. A significant element of the £49 million provided by DFID to the Common Humanitarian Fund, covering the whole of Sudan, will be channelled to Darfur.

The signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May has enabled work to begin on identifying the region's longer-term recovery and development needs. An assessment team is currently in Darfur, and will present a report to donors at a conference due to be held in The Hague later in the year. Donors will be able to pledge further financial support at this meeting.

Tropical Storm Bilis

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact on developing countries in the region of tropical storm Bilis. [88415]

Mr. Thomas: DFID has been monitoring the situation closely, and has been prepared to respond if necessary. There has not been any request for international assistance and needs are being met by the affected countries’ governments and local response arrangements.


25 July 2006 : Column 1627W

Tsunamis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to assist countries affected by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2005 in preparations to minimise the damage of future tsunamis. [88791]

Mr. Thomas: Following the tsunami in December 2004, DFID set aside £7.5 million of its humanitarian assistance to support disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities in the affected region.

DFID is currently considering:

    support to DRR capacity building in Indonesia and Sri Lanka;

    support to the UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission co-ordinated Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System (IO-TEWS) programme and

    support to efforts by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to strengthen capacity in climate change adaptation planning in Asia.

UK Aid Expenditure

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK aid expenditure was on (a) acute diarrhoeal illness, (b) acute lower respiratory infections, (c) child health, (d) HIV/AIDS, (e) malaria, (f) poor nutrition, (g) reproductive and maternal health, (h) tuberculosis and (i) vaccine preventable diseases in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; and what such spending is estimated to be for (A) 2006-07 and (B) 2007-08. [88372]

Mr. Thomas: It is not possible, to disaggregate UK aid expenditure by disease category or sub-sectors areas such as child health or reproductive and maternal health. DFID uses a range of different aid instruments to assist developing countries implement their national health plans. UK support ranges from direct budget support to funding delivered through multilateral agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.

The focus of DFID’s work in health is to help countries strengthen their health systems to prevent and mitigate the impact of ill health including communicable diseases. Functioning systems are crucial for effectively tackling diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia and vaccine preventable disease epidemics as well as HIV, TB and malaria and to deliver child and reproductive health services. With country partners DFID monitors improvements in health outcomes (e.g. reduced child mortality rates) or outputs (more children immunised against measles and fewer cases and deaths) rather than inputs targeting individual diseases. The exception is AIDS, where DFID does monitor spend against a government commitment to spend at least £1.5 billion over the three years 2005-06 to 2007-08.

DFID’s overall bilateral spend on the health sector was £363 million in 2004-05 through our country, regional and research programmes. We also provide general Poverty Reduction Budget Support to several developing countries to help build basic services. Some of this funding goes on health services, but is not captured within our sector specific spending figures
25 July 2006 : Column 1628W
which therefore somewhat underestimate our overall bilateral contribution to improving health in developing countries. In addition to our bilateral assistance we provided a further £110 million in 2004-05 for health through multilateral assistance including to the WHO and other UN agencies.

We are also supporting a number of innovative financing mechanisms to increase resources to tackle communicable diseases. For example, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation will raise an additional £4 billion from a number of donors for vaccines for the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunisations and help support the development of new vaccines for communicable diseases that can be prevented.

The specific spend on communicable diseases, other than AIDS, in 2004-05 was £80 million (out of the £363 million). Recording AIDS-specific expenditure requires careful analysis because there are a range of sectors which have an impact on the epidemic, including health, education, social development and good governance. There are also a range of instruments used to channel AIDS-related development spending. DFID has been working with the Joint United Nations Programme of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and others to review and improve these expenditure calculations. While refinements to the methodology are still in progress DFID has reported a provisional bilateral expenditure of £350 million on AIDS for the period 2004-05.

Expenditure data for 2005-06 by sector will not be released until the autumn and expenditure forecasts for 2006-07 and 2007-08 will be subject to the direction of DFID country programming in response to the 2006 White Paper and the revised Health Strategy under preparation.

World Food Programme (Kenya)

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take urgent steps to tackle the situation facing the World Food Programme in Kenya; and if he will make a statement. [88265]

Hilary Benn: We share the World Food Programme's assessment that despite improved rains, food security remains poor among some communities in particular in northern and eastern Kenya—the same areas affected by drought in 2005. In many parts of northern Kenya rains were again below normal and drought conditions persist, resulting in continuing humanitarian needs in these areas. Rates of acute malnutrition remain very high—well above the emergency threshold.

The UK is the second largest bilateral donor in the response (after the US). The UK's total contribution in response to the drought in Kenya since December 2005 is £22.2 million spent on food aid, water supplies and emergency health. Of this, £12.5 million has been channelled through the World Food Programme (WFP). I am considering further contributions and at the same time urging other donors to make contributions.


25 July 2006 : Column 1629W

DFID is also working with the Government of Kenya and others to tackle the underlying causes of the persistent food crises affecting Kenya. The Government of Kenya with our support is developing a hunger safety net programme that aims to tackle chronic hunger in the long term.

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council (Jazz Funding)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the oral Answer to the hon. Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) of 24 April 2006, Official Report, column 351, on Arts Council (Jazz Funding), what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the rescheduling of jazz music on Smooth FM on the listenership of that genre; and if she will make a statement. [89097]

Mr. Lammy: Such an assessment does not fall within the remit of my Department.

Community Development Fund

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to extend the Community Development Fund beyond its initial three year period. [88893]

Mr. Caborn: £60 million was available for the Community Club Development Programme in the three-year period 2003-06. An additional £40 million is available for the period 2006-08.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been allocated in grants from the Community Development Fund; and which sports have received an allocation. [88894]

Mr. Caborn: £60.1 million has been committed to date to the support of 1,018 sports facilities projects through the Community Club Development Programme (CCDP).

Sports benefiting from CCDP in the period 2003-06 include: cricket, football, tennis, rugby football league, rugby football union, netball, rowing, swimming, badminton, cycling, canoeing, gymnastics, judo, basketball, hockey, and table tennis. A further three sports will be eligible to receive CCDP from 2006/07: boxing, golf and squash.

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006, Official Report, column 131W, on Departmental Staff, how many staff in her Department have had two or more periods of sick leave of less than five days in two or more of the last three years. [84029]


25 July 2006 : Column 1630W

Mr. Lammy: My department had 89 members of staff who had two or more periods of sick leave of less than five working days in two or more of the last three years.

Digital Switchover

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued on digital switchover for landlords and local authorities; and if she will include information on integrated reception systems in future guidance to landlords. [87822]

Mr. Woodward: We wrote to all local authorities, registered social landlords and a number of representative bodies, including those representing private sector landlords and house builders in June 2004 alerting them to Digital Switchover. We wrote again to local authorities in January 2006. An electronic version of both letters is available on www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk, a copy of each has been placed in the Library.

In 2005 we published "Digital Switchover; A Good Practice Briefing Special" in association with the Chartered Institute of Housing replacing an earlier booklet published by DCMS in December 2001. The Good Practice Briefing describes the implications of digital switchover for private and social sector landlords giving clear, objective advice on the various options available including integrated reception systems. It has been circulated widely to housing sector professionals by DCMS and the Chartered Institute of Housing, by other housing representative bodies and by Digital UK. An electronic version is available on www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid to her Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget she plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if she will make a statement. [89008]

Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport was paid £7,603.90 from the Access to Work scheme in the 05-06 financial year. Following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments, the cost of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff will be met centrally by the Department.

Fishing Licences

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many fishing licences were granted in (a) London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997. [87253]


25 July 2006 : Column 1631W

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

Rod fishing licences are issued by the Environment Agency.

Historically, the agency has not analysed sales of these licences by Government Office Region or by borough. However, there were 41,584 rod licence holders resident in London in 2005. Some of these will have purchased more than one licence.

London Olympics

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what training is being provided to enable local people to gain access to construction jobs created by the Olympic developments; what steps she has taken to encourage contractors to provide (a) jobs and (b) apprenticeships for local people; and if she will make a statement. [88210]

Mr. Caborn: ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, has established a special team—Constructing London 2012—to deliver locally available construction skills to build the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure. It will work with partners to recruit and train local people, ensuring that building the infrastructure provides sustainable skills and job opportunities for people resident in east London through a range of newly targeted initiatives. A detailed Plan is currently being developed.

The Construction National Skills Academy, due to be launched during the last quarter of 2006 will have a significant impact on developing construction skills for the Olympic infrastructure, and other London-based construction projects. One of its first on-site centres is likely to be in the Thames Gateway/Olympics area.

The London 2012 Employment and Skills Taskforce (LEST) was commissioned by the Mayor and Government to produce an action plan aimed at helping Londoners benefit from the jobs and skills opportunities created by the London Games. This will be finalised in the autumn but Jobcentre Plus has already placed 15 people into jobs at the Olympic site and are discussing a further 200 vacancies with the two contractors so far engaged. These should arise over the next 12 to 18 months.

The Olympic Delivery Authority's draft Procurement Policy sets out the overall framework and values guiding the ODA and its Delivery Partner's approach to procurement The draft Policy states the ODA's commitment to requiring its contractors and subcontractors to operate with a commitment to a competent workforce, and its desire to work with the appropriate sector skills councils to provide a legacy of a trained and motivated workforce for the future.
25 July 2006 : Column 1632W

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to redirect sewerage services at the site of the Olympic Park and the Lea Valley area during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. [88510]

Mr. Caborn: DEFRA are currently leading work to consider options for intercepting intermittent sewage discharges into the Thames, including developing a package of measures to protect the Olympic Park when the Olympic and Paralympic Games take place in 2012.

Online Gambling

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what action the Government can take against online gambling companies permitted by the whitelist to advertise in the UK who breach the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005; and if she will make a statement; [89130]

(2) what criteria will be used to establish the whitelist of countries overseas from which online gambling establishments based in their jurisdiction may advertise in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [89131]

Mr. Caborn: Section 331 of the Gambling Act prohibits any gambling operator based outside the European Economic Area or Gibraltar from advertising in the UK unless a specific exemption has been made for that jurisdiction under sub-section 331(4). My Department will begin consulting on the criteria for making an exemption shortly.

Should it become apparent that gambling regulation by a jurisdiction which has been specified under sub-section 331(4) of the Act is failing to meet the standards set by the Gambling Act, the Secretary of the State has the power to remove this exemption.

Swimming Pools

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many chlorinated public swimming pools there were in each (a) London borough and (b) constituency in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [87330]

Mr. Caborn: We do not hold specific information on numbers of chlorinated public swimming pools. However, the numbers of public swimming pools by London borough in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The ISRM advise that all pools must provide some form of residual disinfection in the pool water to protect bathers against the risk of cross-infection. The UK is not alone in using chlorine for this purpose. It is probably the most effective disinfectant in water and this is the reason it is used throughout the world, not only in swimming pools, but also in drinking water supplies. However, many swimming pools do use supplementary forms of treatment to enhance the disinfection process, such as ozone and UV.


25 July 2006 : Column 1633W

25 July 2006 : Column 1634W
Of which “x” built in
London borough Total number of pools 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Barking and Dagenham

8

Barnet

22

2

1

1

Bexley

14

1

2

Brent

8

1

Bromley

28

2

1

1

Camden

25

1

City of London

14

3

1

1

Croydon

28

2

4

Ealing

26

2

2

1

1

Enfield

16

2

Greenwich

16

Hackney

5

1

Hammersmith and Fulham

18

1

4

2

Haringey

16

Harrow

11

1

Havering

12

2

4

Hillingdon

20

2

1

Hounslow

16

1

1

Islington

14

2

1

Kensington and Chelsea

16

1

1

Kingston upon Thames

12

3

1

Lambeth

11

1

1

Lewisham

9

2

Merton

14

1

Newham

10

2

1

1

Redbridge

11

1

1

Richmond

19

2

Southwark

17

1

1

Sutton

12

1

Tower Hamlets

11

1

1

Waltham Forest

15

1

3

Wandsworth

20

1

1

1

Westminster

40

4

3

2

1


Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many swimming pools there were in each London borough in each year from 1998 to 2004. [87414]

Mr. Caborn: We do not hold the requested information on the number of pools in each London borough from 1998-2003.

However, we do have a figure for the numbers of pools in each London borough for 2004 through the Active Places database. This information is shown in the table. The information includes swimming pools provided by public and private operators.


25 July 2006 : Column 1635W
Number of pools by London borough in 2004
Total

Barking and Dagenham

8

Barnet

22

Bexley

11

Brent

8

Bromley

27

Camden

25

City of London

14

Croydon

27

Ealing

25

Enfield

16

Greenwich

16

Hackney

5

Hammersmith and Fulham

19

Haringey

15

Harrow

11

Havering

12

Hillingdon

20

Hounslow

17

Islington

14

Kensington and Chelsea

16

Kingston upon Thames

12

Lambeth

11

Lewisham

9

Merton

14

Newham

10

Redbridge

11

Richmond

19

Southwark

17

Sutton

12

Tower Hamlets

12

Waltham Forest

14

Wandsworth

20

Westminster

40


UK School Games

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what evaluation procedures are planned in respect of the delivery of the UK School Games by the Youth Sports Trust; and if she will make a statement. [88895]

Mr. Caborn: The selection of an operator to organise the UK School Games for 2006 and for 2007-11, and the subsequent grant of National Lottery money was a matter for the Millennium Commission. In my capacity as Chair of the Commission, I will write to you on this matter and arrange for copies of my reply to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.

Duchy of Lancaster

Admiralty House

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans the Government have for the two empty official residences at Admiralty house; and what the estimated (a) capital and (b) rental value is of each of the two flats. [86897]

Hilary Armstrong: There is currently one flat vacant at Admiralty house. A decision on its allocation will be taken in due course.

For information on the capital and rental value of the property, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire (Oliver Heald) on 24 January 2005, Official Report, column 136W.

Civil Contingencies Act

Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many local authorities have complied fully with the obligations contained in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004; and if she will make a statement. [87902]

Edward Miliband: Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a statutory framework for civil protection arrangements at the local level. Responders were given a six-month implementation period to put arrangements in place before the bulk of the duties came fully into force on 14 November 2005. The Act sets out clear roles and responsibilities for local responders (including local authorities) establishing a basis for effective performance assessment.

The performance of responders against the requirements set out in the Act is assessed through their existing mainstream performance assessment frameworks. English local authorities’ performance is assessed by the Audit Commission through the comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) process.
25 July 2006 : Column 1636W
The performance of local authorities in Wales is assessed by the Wales Audit Office.

The Scottish Executive is responsible for making regulations and issuing guidance, under the Act, to local authorities in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, local authorities are subject to the non-statutory ‘Northern Ireland Civil Contingencies Framework’.

Deputy Prime Minister

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total cost was of the Deputy Prime Minister’s (a) private office and (b) Central Policy Group within the Cabinet Office in 2001-02. [83030]

Hilary Armstrong: Support arrangements for Ministers include Private Secretaries, Special Advisers and Parliamentary Branch. The costs of individual Ministers’ private offices are not separately identifiable, on my department’s accounting system, from the overall support costs.

The total support costs for all Cabinet Office Ministers in 2001-02 were £2,180,503. This period includes the General Election held in June 2001 and the machinery of government changes which followed. The total cost therefore includes support for three Ministers’ offices to June 2001, and the Deputy Prime Minister and four additional ministers (one of whom, the Minister without Portfolio, was unpaid) following the General Election. These figures are therefore not representative of the typical annual running costs of Ministers’ private offices.

In addition to this, the total cost in 2001-02 of the Central Policy Group, from its foundation following the 2001 General Election, was £490,932.

Both figures include staff pay costs and general office expenditure such as staff travel costs, IT related spend and office equipment costs.

IT Contracts

Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the value was of each IT contract awarded by the Prime Minister’s Office in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [88980]

Mr. McFadden: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The information for the Department cannot be produced in the form requested without incurring disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) on 6 June 2006, Official Report, column 545W.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which IT contracts awarded by the Prime Minister’s Office in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [88981]


25 July 2006 : Column 1637W

Mr. McFadden: I refer the hon. member to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) on 5 October 2005, Official Report, column 2773W, and the pursuant reply on 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 667W.

Official Residence

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister paid to the Cabinet Office for the official residence of Deputy Prime Minister in Admiralty House in 2005-06 (a) in total and (b) to cover the cost of (i) rent, (ii) security, (iii) utilities, (iv) facilities management and (v) general maintenance. [85664]

Edward Miliband: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister paid £173,268 to the Cabinet Office in 2005-06 to cover the cost of rent, security, utilities, facilities management and general maintenance for the official residence of the Deputy Prime Minister in Admiralty House.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent staff provide maintenance to the Deputy Prime Minister’s official residence under the Cabinet Office contract for the maintenance of Admiralty House. [85665]

Edward Miliband: Admiralty House is one of a number of buildings in London covered by the Cabinet Office’s Total Facilities Management contract. Maintenance of all buildings is carried out by a team of 11 engineers, and agency and specialist sub-contractors as required, in accordance with the Output Specification. There are no engineers specifically dedicated to the maintenance of the Deputy Prime Minister’s official residence in Admiralty House.

Post Offices

Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Deputy Prime Minister will be
25 July 2006 : Column 1638W
chairing the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Post Offices; and if she will make a statement. [88330]

Hilary Armstrong: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. A list of Cabinet Committees, including the membership and terms of reference of the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office Network (MISC33), is available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Year of the Volunteer

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how the £7 million allocated by the Chancellor to the Year of the Volunteer was spent; and what the measurable outcomes of the funding were. [83471]

Edward Miliband [holding answer 10 July 2006]: Grants totalling £7.1 million for the England-wide Year of the Volunteer 2005 were made by the Home Office directly to organisations in the Voluntary and Community Sector, who were responsible for the delivery of the Year. The table shows how much grant was paid to each organisation, and for what purpose. The Year of the Volunteer involved over 3,000 events across the country, 12 themed months promoting different types of volunteering and a very significant media campaign to raise awareness of volunteering overall. An independent Delivery Review, conducted by GFK NOP Social Research and published in April, showed that over a quarter of all adults in England were aware of the year, over 2.2 billion minutes were pledged by the public for volunteering (well exceeding the 1 billion minutes target) and over a third of a million people visited the website. The Year brought together new partners to promote volunteering, including contributions of an additional £2 million worth of free media. The third sector, private sector and Government have built on the success of the year with initiatives such as the continuation of Environmental Volunteering Month in May, and a new Volunteering for All Programme.


25 July 2006 : Column 1639W

25 July 2006 : Column 1640W
Grants made by the Home Office during the Year of the Volunteer 2005
Home Office investment into YV05 Purpose of Grant Amount invested by the Home Office (£)

Community Service Volunteers

Principal Voluntary Sector partner delivering a range of activities, events, promotional materials and press and media coverage

1,000,000

Community Service Volunteers

To deliver a government employee volunteering scheme

500,000

Volunteering England

Principal Voluntary Sector partner working with a consortium to deliver a range of activities, events, promotional materials and press and media coverage

1,000,000

Volunteering England

To increase the capacity of local volunteer centres throughout England

3,000,000

Volunteering England

Small grants programme for other stakeholders who can contribute to achieving the objectives of YOV 2005

250,000

Marketing/Communications Support

Research and branding, publicity, partnership marketing and the YOV 2005 website www.yearofthevolunteer.org

250,000

Website and YOV 2005 evaluation support

To develop and enhance www.yearofthevolunteer.org and manage project evaluation

100,000

Media Trust

For high-profile, multi-media consumer marketing campaign which aims to supercharge the year, raise awareness of volunteering and drive registrations of new volunteers.

1,000,000

Total

7,100,000


Scotland

Departmental Publications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in date order the (a) Green and (b) White Papers produced by his Department since October 2005. [81647]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office published one Command Paper between October 2005 to date: Command No. 6834 Departmental Report, published on 24 May 2006.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the unnumbered command papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; how (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement. [81650]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999.

Documents which are laid before Parliament as Unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.

Copies of the Office's Explanatory Memoranda to Statutory Instruments are, as is the usual practice, made available via the Vote Office.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid to his Department from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget he plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government departments; and if he will make a statement. [89004]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has received no funding under this scheme.

Information Technology

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computers hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in his Department in each month since March 2005. [88763]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not collect this information in the form requested.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case; [88976]

(2) which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [88979]

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) on 4 July 2006, Official Report, column 939W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10th July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than (a) two and (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case. [85195]

David Cairns: As at 25 July, one outstanding Scotland Office parliamentary question remained to be answered. It is an ‘ordinary’ written reply for 24 July and will be answered at the earliest opportunity.

Questionnaires

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out, wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was of each. [83162]

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established in July 1999 and has executive responsibility for the conduct of elections to the Scottish Parliament and the handling of legislation under the Scotland Act 1998. To date, this Office has not issued any questionnaires or carried out statistical inquiries or investigations.


25 July 2006 : Column 1641W

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005. [85177]

David Cairns: Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported.

Leader of the House

Northern Ireland Members

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to impose the same financial penalties on any hon. Members from Northern Ireland constituencies who do not take their seats as will be imposed upon members of the Northern Ireland Assembly with effect from 25 November 2006. [88338]

Mr. Straw: There are no plans to impose financial penalties on Members representing Northern Ireland constituencies who do not take their seats. The Northern Ireland Act 2006 provides for the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the indefinite postponement of the next Assembly elections if an Executive has not been formed by 25 November 2005. In these circumstances, it would not be appropriate for members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to continue to receive salaries and allowances.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Harper: To ask the Leader of the House how many parliamentary questions tabled and due for answer were still awaiting a substantive reply at 25 July 2006. [87957]

Mr. Straw: None.

Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House if he will take steps to ensure that the drafting of answers to parliamentary questions in Government Departments is undertaken by officials with direct responsibility for the subject matter. [88783]

Mr. Straw: However they are drafted, Ministers are responsible for answers given.

Departments must ensure that the answers to questions abide by the terms of the Ministerial Code and the guidance issued in respect of the accuracy of answers.

I therefore have no plans to issue guidance on the administrative arrangements for the preparation of answers to parliamentary questions, which must remain a matter for each Minister and his or her Department.


25 July 2006 : Column 1642W

House of Commons Commission

Accommodation

Mr. Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 8W, on accommodation, why the houses are structurally unsuitable for use as offices. [87140]

Nick Harvey: The houses are unsuitable for use as offices because the floor loading capacity is inadequate, there is limited fire protection with no secondary means of escape and there are no facilities for disabled access. The buildings are also tall and narrow, resulting in limited accommodation on each floor. It is furthermore unlikely that the necessary listed building consent would be given for the extensive physical alterations which would be required for conversion to office use.

Mail Delivery

Mr. Hancock: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent research the Commission has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the length of time it takes for mail to reach hon. Members’ and hon. Members’ staffs offices after arriving on the Palace of Westminster estate; and if he will make a statement. [88184]

Nick Harvey: After mail arrives at the Palace of Westminster it is delivered to Members offices’ within the parliamentary estate on the day it arrives. Alternatively it is forwarded by the Royal Mail Special Delivery service to constituency offices to arrive the next working day by 1 pm. The next day service is guaranteed and is tracked and traced throughout its entire journey.

Passholders

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many passholders are non-UK citizens, broken down by nationality. [87303]

Nick Harvey: 280 House of Commons passholders are non-UK citizens, covering over 90 nationalities, including dual and multiple nationalities. 71 of these are UK citizens with other nationalities. Hon. Members are not included, because they are not required to complete a pass application form. A full list of nationalities and the numbers for each nationality has been placed in the Library of the House.

Recycled Waste

Sarah Teather: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much waste generated by the House was recycled in each year since 1997, broken down by category of waste. [87630]


25 July 2006 : Column 1643W

Nick Harvey: Data on waste began to be collected in April 2002 and no data are available prior to this date.
25 July 2006 : Column 1644W
The annual waste data from April 2002 to March 2006 are given in the table.

Annual total waste from 2002-03 to 2005-06
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Total (kg) Percentage of waste recycled Total (kg) Percentage of waste recycled Total (kg) Percentage of waste recycled Total (kg) Percentage of waste recycled

Paper and Cardboard

390,390

13.0

379,080

16.3

393,615

20.5

539,578

24.0

Glass

252,850

8.4

173,100

7.5

152,800

8.0

182,760

8.1

Metal

45,700

1.5

50,420

2.2

6,120

0.3

77,620

3.5

Oil

8,030

0.3

4,140

0.2

6,360

0.3

12,212

0.5

Fluorescent Tubes

702

0.0

553

0.0

757

0.0

1,276

0.1

Sodium Lamps

1,016

0.0

393

0.0

880

0.0

1,284

0.1

Light Fittings

38

0.0

270

0.0

0

0.0

0

0.0

Other Items

0

0.0

360

0.0

705

0.0

6,631

0.3

Waste not recycled

2,068,220

1,710,570

1,355,272

1,430,319

Annual total

2,766,946

25.3

2,318,886

26.2

1,916,509

29.3

2,251,680

36.5

Note: All total figures are in kilograms. 1,000 kilograms = 1 tonne.


Smoking

David Taylor: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what recent discussions he has had with House authorities on the implementation of Smokefree Regulations in the Palace of Westminster in 2007; and if he will make a statement. [87420]

Nick Harvey: I understand that the Administration Committee has had a preliminary discussion about the application of the principles of the smoking provisions in the Health Bill to the parliamentary estate, and that it will consider the matter further in the autumn in the light of the draft regulations recently published by the Department of Health. The Commission awaits the Administration Committee’s advice.

St. David's Day

Mark Williams: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Refreshment Department plans to (a) hold a Welsh Cheese Week and (b) serve Welsh dishes and products in the cafeterias and Members’ Dining Room at Westminster on St. David’s Day in 2007; and if he will make a statement. [88855]

Nick Harvey: The Refreshment Department does not usually mount food promotions to coincide with all the national saints’ days of the countries making up the UK, but normally celebrates at least one of them each year. Regional food promotions may also be mounted at other times of the year. No decision has yet been taken on such promotions in 2007.